Ginger Snaps: Spellbound
by Angelic Romance
Summary: This is a continuation for everyone's favorite pariahs from Bailey downs. This story picks up after part 2. Like part one affiliated Lycanthropy with Menstruating and Part 2 drugs, I'm affiliating this matter with relationships and how they can be territorial. Sam and Brigitte is the focus of that example.
1. Introducing Wolf Number Two

There is going to be foul language in this story which I don't normally do. But I will say that I wrote this fanfic for Ginger Snaps fans. If I would have used no kind of profanity for the characters, it would take from them dramatically. I do not own any of the original characters from the original three movies, but I do own quite a few in this story. I hope it's okay. **Warning: This is a long story.** Please, please, please comment.

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The werewolf was thrown in the trap in the basement set by Brigitte and Ghost. As few seconds went by, the wolf made no movement, indicating that it was dead. Afterward, Brigitte was beginning to turn herself. She demanded that Ghost kill her, but instead she closed Brigitte beneath the basement floor and locked her down there with the corpse of the dead wolf.

Ghost intended to use Brigitte as her own personal demon from hell. While the night was getting older, Brigitte was succumbing to her Lycanthropy. Although she was turning, she still had a piece of her mind left.

The transformation was painful and it brought her to her knees. Once she was down on the floor, she saw the wolf on the trap beginning to twitch and move. Even though she herself was going to be like that, she still ached to be away from it.

Brigitte made herself come to her feet. She saw a small window and began to crawl out. The wolf was only unconscious for a while and stayed there only to regain its strength. The glass that was there wasn't deep enough to pierce through his organ in order to kill it completely.

Brigitte was halfway out of the window when the wolf got up and began to pursue her again. He grabbed her by the leg with his teeth and tried to pull her back . Although she was transformed just a little, it granted her more strength than before.

She was able to kick the wolf off of her and continue out of the window. The wolf was too big to fit through the window so it tried the cellar doors. Unfortunately for him, Ghost locked the doors to the cellar really tight and he was still too weak from his blood loss; he couldn't get out.

Brigitte crawled away into the woods away from the wolf but her transformation slowed her down, so she couldn't get any farther. She rested on the ground and decided to stop fighting and just let the transformation take her over.

Unbeknownst to her, she was surrounded by numerous counts of leeches as the area was infested due to a nearby lake. They were able to seek her heat trail and they began to attach themselves to her. Once they made contact with her body, they began to grow bigger, hairy, and monstrous.

They began to suck more and more blood the bigger they got. Brigitte screamed in pain as she felt their sharp teeth go into her body. One was biting into her shoulder, five were on her legs; she had one on her neck, two on her face and one on her arm.

Brigitte began to snatch them off of her. When she did, some of her skin came off with them. Little did she know, the leeches actually helped somewhat with her transformation. They sucked out some of her infected blood and thinned her blood which slowed the transformation further.

Her nose had reverted back and her teeth began to retract back into her gums, but she still had the sharp canine teeth; her eyes remained yellow, her ears remained pointy, and she grew pale from the cold and loss of blood.

When all of the leeches were off of her, she crawled away from that spot and made her way to the edge of the road from the woods. She was so weak, she could barely go on. She rolled over to her back and stared at the first quarter moon. Though halfway full, it was huge and white, also very tempting. She fainted with that being her last sight for that night.

She had been out cold for two days. In the early morning of the third day, Brigitte found herself in the same spot. She had been in the cold with nothing to warm her. Her skin was so pale that it was becoming blue. She had a mild case of hypothermia.

Thanks to her Lycanthropy, she was able to warm herself rather quickly. Due to the fact that she was out for a while, her blood circulation came to a slow and was thin; it was barely salvation. She wanted to go back to Barbara's and warn Ghost that the wolf was still alive, but she could barely stand.

At that moment, she came to the realization that she had not gone under a transformation. Her skin still looked like skin with no hair, and she had hands and no paws, though her fingernails were still sharp.

She also saw the places where she had been bitten by leeches. "Why haven't I transformed yet?" she asked herself weakly while still staring at her arm in awe. Just then, she heard Ginger's voice. "Looks like you got lucky B." She mocked.

Brigitte tried to ignore the voice and shake her head to get rid of her delusion. "You think I'm going to just go away like that. Just go away because you want me to? Well it's not going to happen! You're going to listen to me." She finished.

"I'm tired of listening to you. You don't do anything but make things worst." Brigitte said obviously annoyed. "You're wrong B. I do everything to make things better so we can be together again. You were close. Too close. But if it hadn't have been for the leeches, everything would have been perfect! And I have to admit that I was really proud of you, just giving in like that." Ginger teased some more.

"Well I'm glad I didn't turn. That gives me more time to find a cure." Brigitte said.

"A cure for what?! Don't you get it Brigitte, there is no fucking cure! There's no cure for this curse! You're stuck with it forever and you're not coming back from it! Ever!" Ginger snapped.

"If there was no cure I guess there would be a lot more of them, but there aren't." Brigitte retorted.

"You're still stuck on the same stupid shit Sam told you years ago. Wouldn't he be proud that you take his theories so seriously." Ginger mocked. Brigitte dusted herself off and got to her feet. "Where are going B?" Ginger questioned.

"I'm going back to warn Ghost that the wolf is still alive." Brigitte answered simply.

"What for? If I were you, I think I'd waste my last bit of energy searching for a fairytale cure." Ginger said beginning to get under Brigitte's skin.

Just then, Brigitte heard a noise from the trees. Her ears were sharper which allowed her to hear a growl. She knew very well it wasn't a bear. She hastily looked around the cold wintery woods. She couldn't see it, but she could sure hear it.

Some part of her knew it was a wolf, but it wasn't a natural wolf and it sure wasn't the wolf that was pursuing her. She kept on her feet and on her guard. She kept walking in a limp because of her sore leg from the leech attack two nights before.

The sounds of the crackling snow around her made her very nervous. She looked around herself in every direction while she limped on with her anxiety increasing. Faster and faster she went. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a big white werewolf jumped at her. Brigitte, with almost no energy left, was frightened and began to run away.

She didn't know where that one came from. She had never seen it before. But she knew the wolf was female. Brigitte didn't want to leave Ghost, but she had no choice. If she would have stopped and tried to go back, the the wolf would have ripped her to shreds.

She made it back the the edge of the road where she was before. She ran into the street to see if she could flag someone down. But no cars really came down that road. The wolf had gained on her and Brigitte had to keep moving no matter what kind of pain she was enduring.

The adrenaline was making her blood go thick and her Lycanthropy allowed her leg to heal rapidly. She was able to run faster away from the dreadful looking thing. She was wondering if the wolf was Ginger because that's how she looked after she transformed.

"If you even think that's me B, then you're so wrong." Ginger's apparition said to her.

"Gee, thanks for the help!" Brigitte yelled out of breath while running. The cold air was cutting into her skin like razors.

The wolf chased Brigitte all the way up the road to the gas station where she and Ghost waited for Tyler. She made it inside and barricaded the door with anything she could find so the wolf couldn't get in. The smell inside was foul from the blood of the mechanic that worked there. Apparently no one came to discover his body yet.

Flies were flying all over the place. Brigitte covered her nose and her mouth to keep from smelling the horrible odor. The wolf made it to where Brigitte had run and tried bursting through the garage door. While it was busy charging, Brigitte crept out another door that was on the side of the car pit where the mechanic's body lay.

When she made it out, she spotted a car, probably belonging to the now dead mechanic on the inside. She didn't have the keys so she had to hot wire the car. While she was doing that, the wolf was able to seek out Brigitte. She canceled her barging and found her way to the car.

The wolf broke the driver's window trying to break in after Brigitte. Brigitte had to duck down to avoid the snapping and snarling jaws of the deranged wolf.

After forcing in the metal lining of the window, the wolf was able to get its thick head through to the inside of the car. She was able to grip Brigitte's left elbow. Brigitte cried out in pain.

Brigitte used her other arm to fight the wolf off of her. But it wasn't working. The wolf threatened to yank her out through the window. Brigitte had to be resourceful. The best thing about the situation was that she was in a mechanic's car so she was able to find a really thick wrench on the passenger's side floor.

Brigitte snatched up the wrench as fast as possible and began to beat the wolf across the head with it. The she-wolf growled in pain but refused to let go of her arm. Instead, she bit down harder. Brigitte was doing her best to fight through the pain and her fatigue.

The wolf proved to be too much for Brigitte. She was able to snatch Brigitte from the passenger window. She tossed her away from the car into a pile of snow. Brigitte hurried back to her feet and ran toward the same back door she used to escape the first time. All while running, she knew that this wolf was aggressive.

Since they were both females, Brigitte knew that this wolf was not going to spare her life, unlike the male who wanted to keep her alive in order to mate with her. The funny thing was, she didn't know _why_ the wolf was trying so adamantly hard to kill her.

The wolf ran after Brigitte who was running back to the door. Brigitte was nearly in when the wolf caught her by her leg muscle. Brigitte kicked at the wolf with all of her might. The wolf fought back, slashing at Brigitte's leg.

This wolf was smart. It was trying to impair her from running at all to make an easy kill. But Brigitte refused to die. Brigitte used her long nails to scratch the wolf in the eye. It was distracted for a little while, allowing Brigitte to free herself from her.

Brigitte crawled inside the door and tried to close it with her foot. But the wolf stuck its head through the door to keep Brigitte from shutting her out. Brigitte was using her legs to keep the wolf out. On the side of her was the corpse of the mechanic and next to him was a long screwdriver.

Brigitte took it in her hands with a massive hold and plunged the wolf underneath the jaw. The wolf jerked back and Brigitte was able to close the door. The screwdriver was long, but not long enough to reach a fatal point in the wolf. It was able to use it's big paw to get the screwdriver out.

Inside, Brigitte got onto her feet. Her legs were sore again. She climbed up the stairs from the shop and went back up to the garage. She couldn't get out though that door because the wolf jammed it when she was trying to break in.

Now Brigitte was stuck. Down below, she heard the wolf burst through the door. Brigitte hid behind a big red tool chest that rested behind a car. She heard the wolf come up the stairs and start sniffing around for her. Brigitte was so scared she held her breath.

Dealing with the other wolf was a lot easier than this one because it truthfully craved for her demise. While the wolf was moving away from the entrance to the stairs, Brigitte carefully moved toward the entrance.

The wolf followed Brigitte's smell behind the car. When she got there, she was gone. Brigitte was already halfway down the stairs. She didn't realize it, but she was holding her breath the whole time. She was trembling and about to cry.

The wolf followed her smell back to the stairs where she saw Brigitte getting away. The angry roar let Brigitte know that the wolf spotted her. She took off running. Brigitte ran so fast it was as if she was trying to catch the life that she was about to lose for good.

Brigitte burst through the door and back to the car. She was in by the time the wolf came raging after her. Brigitte started to hot wire the car again. The raging wolf didn't stop, she just ran straight into the door where Brigitte was.

She left a huge dent in the door. Finally, Brigitte was able to start the vehicle. Once she got the car started up, she hit the gas pedal in reverse and got away from the life-threatening beast. She switched the gear to drive and floored the gas pedal as hard as she could. She had blood all over her shirt and cuts in her pants. It made the cold easier to reach her.

She wished she could go back for Ghost, but that would mean trying to get away from two wolves when it was already hard enough trying to get away from one. All she knew was that the cellar door was locked and she hoped Ghost wasn't dumb enough to open it up.

At the same time, she had to look for some more monkshood. She didn't know if she was going to reject it again, but it was worth a try.

While she was driving, she caught a glimpse of herself in the visor mirror. She saw that her eyes were yellow and her ears were pointy. She couldn't let anyone see her that way. Lucky for her, the mechanic had a jacket in his car. It was old looking but it would be better than nothing.

When she got a safe distance, she pulled over to the side of the road and put the jacket on. She didn't like the smell of it, but she had to do whatever she had to do.

All the while she was driving, she kept wondering, how was it that she was able to dodge the transformation? When she thought about it, she realized that leeches had a natural anti-coagulant. So when they bit into her, the anti-coagulant must have gotten stronger when they grew.

So she came up with an alternative idea. If the monkshood failed her again, she would get leeches instead. But she didn't know how long that was going to work. "I hope you're not thinking about finding some kind of possible cure again." said Ginger's apparition, sitting in the passenger's side of the car.

Brigitte ignored her. "I know you hear me B. So hear me when I say this, there is no cure and you aren't going to find a cure. You're going to transform and there's nothing you can do about it. You're doomed no matter what you do. And what you do doesn't matter." She said in her low, slow, and sardonic voice.

"I may not find a cure, but I'm going to work harder to prevent becoming like – "

"Like who? Me? You're very funny Brigitte. I know I'm right and you know I'm right." Ginger said, cutting Brigitte off.

Brigitte just left it alone. She closed her eyes for a moment but short enough to keep focusing on the road. She looked on the side of her and Ginger's apparition was gone. "I'm going to fix this." Brigitte whispered to herself.


	2. Old Faces, New Scenario

Brigitte continued to drive until she made it into town. It took about twenty minutes to make it back to where she was before she was taken to the clinic. She drove pass the hotel where Jeremy, the librarian was murdered by the wolf. Yellow police tape still marked off the area as they tried to figure out what mutilated the poor man to death.

Brigitte felt somewhat responsible for his death, but she had to keep moving or else people out there would suffer the same fate. As for the female wolf that attacked her, that was in question.

She stopped when she came in front of a place that sold fishing supplies. She figured since they sold fish bait, it was a possibility that they would have leeches as well. She parked the car outside of the store. She pulled the old hood above her head securely.

Since it was the jacket of a man, it was big enough to pull over the slashes in the thigh area of her pants. As for the blood, it was a good thing her pants were black so the blood would look like stains of something other than blood. Just as long no one asked.

She waited a little while longer for her legs to heal some more. She tried to think, where would a female wolf come from? She hadn't infected anyone. It couldn't have been anyone from the clinic because the transformation would have been too early.

It was mind boggling. The only thing she could sum up was that she didn't want to face that wolf again. She had never feared for her life like that since Ginger turned into a wolf on Halloween night. She dismissed the thoughts from her mind for now because she had to think clearly.

She got out of the car and looked around, hoping no one would suspect her of anything. She walked carefully into the store and began searching for leeches. She saw fish hooks, fake worms, mosquito repellant, hats that had 'I Love Fishing' on them; she saw nets, fishing poles, extra reeling strings, canoes in the back of the store; rafters, paddles, and SCUBBA diving gear.

She didn't seen any leeches so she went to the counter to ask if they had any. She had to wait behind two men who were buying their things. Once they were done, she walked up to ask her question. She didn't look directly at the man or else he would see her yellow eyes.

At that moment, she heard the door open and the scent of a wolf filled her nose. Someone had been infected. She was about to turn around to see the infected being, but the counterman asked her if she needed anything.

Just when she was about to speak, she felt the infected person stand directly behind her. She nervously began to speak. "Do you sell leeches here?" she asked with a hardened face and a small tremble in her voice.

"What does a little lady like yourself need with leeches?" asked the counterman in a kind and gentle voice.

"I just want to know if you have them." She said grimly.

"Well in that case, yes we do, but you have to be careful of how you handle them. They can get quite a grip on you." The man lectured.

"Thanks for the tip." She cracked a sideways and nonchalant grin.

The man wanted to ask her why she had her hood pulled so far above her head and refused eye contact. But he didn't ask. He went to the wall in the back of the counter to a section where it read 'Live Bait'. He pulled out a cup of them.

He showed it to her. "That's going to be $2.75." he gave her the price.

"I'm not buying them, I just wanted to know if you had any." she said just as grim as before. She left from the counter soon after she said that.

Before she left out the door, she wanted to get a look at the man who was infected. She knew it couldn't have been the librarian Jeremy because he died. As it turns out, while she was wondering who he was, he was curious to know who she was. When they made eye to eye contact, they recognized each other immediately.

"Oh my god, Brigitte?" he asked. Brigitte couldn't believe this. She thought he was just an apparition like Ginger. Her eyes opened in shocked as she saw Sam looking directly at her...alive.

"Sam?" she asked in a whisper with astonishing eyes.

Sam walked over to her from the counter and inspected her further. Brigitte continued to talk as he came over. "But, you died." she said perplexed and loss of breath.

"Well that's not...quite what happened." Sam intervened. He felt a breath of fresh air to see Brigitte still alive and not transformed. At least not all the way.

"But Ginger– I saw her kill you. There was a lot of blood." Brigitte said while still gaping. Sam looked behind himself and saw that they were drawing attention to a very delicate matter.

"We might want to talk somewhere else." he said grabbing her by her upper arm gently. They walked out the door and into the parking lot. Brigitte was still shocked to learn that he was alive. While they were walking, she noticed that Sam's hair wasn't dark brown anymore, but jet black like hers; only his hair was cut shorter and neat.

Once they were to themselves, he began to explain. "Alright. Halloween night, your sister did a pretty good job chewing me up. By the time you made it down to the basement, I got infected and it made my wounds heal faster.

And another thing, your sister was only a wolf for a little while so she probably had a bad aim when she intended to _kill me_!" he said annoyed at the last sentence. He continued. "But hey, she meant to bite me directly in the trachea but she ended up biting a main vein in my neck and it knocked me out for a while.

But if I wasn't infected by her earlier, I probably would have died. I was close to it, but the rapid healing pretty much saved my tail. But hey, maybe I should have moved over a little more and let her kill me instead of living with this goddamn infection." he ended that sentence in disgust.

Brigitte listened as he proceeded. "But after all that, I woke up in the midst of a bunch of smoke. It didn't take me long to know that the house was on fire." he reminisced.

"That would be my fault." Brigitte admitted to have set her house on fire to hide any kind of evidence.

"O––kay." Sam dragged the 'O'. He continued. "So I guess you did a good job of that. It's a good thing I found a way out or else I would have been hidden evidence too." he joked a bit. He was suddenly taken by the smell of blood coming from Brigitte. "Are you bleeding? Because I smell a lot of blood from you." he asked.

"Why are you all they way out here?" Brigitte changed the subject, still too shocked to have heard what he asked.

"Well, initially, I left Bailey Downs to get away from all of the catastrophe going on and I needed other materials to see if I could find a cure for Lycanthropy.

As it turns out, Monkshood only slows the transformation, but it doesn't get rid of it. I guess you know that yourself judging by your situation." he referred to her ears and eyes. That made him think for a moment. "Leeches. You were interested in leeches, right?" he questioned her.

Brigitte nodded her head. "Listen here Brigitte, I made something else a little while ago that proves to work better than monkshood, but it's not a cure. It just does a better job." he explained.

"What is it?" she asked hastily.

"It's just a little something I made from black orchid extract and the usual dose of Monkshood. It's not a cure but it counts for something." he beckoned her to follow him.

"You're going to have to make this quick because there's a wolf out there that's been following me and another wolf that attacked me." she said brisk as she walked after him.

"Oh shit!" Sam shouted.

"What is it?" Brigitte asked out of worrisome curiosity.

"She found me again. I guess that would explain all of the blood." Sam said with irritation.

"Again? Are you saying that this wolf is stalking you?" Brigitte asked in her deep grim voice.

"Yeah! She's been stalking me for nearly two years now. This wolf is aggressive. Don't know where she came from or who she was. She just sort of came out of nowhere." Brigitte could definitely relate to how Sam was feeling.

Brigitte quickly followed Sam to a Holiday Rambler which was parked further down the road. Brigitte went inside along with him. To her, it looked like a house on wheels. "Alright Brigitte, here's what I have. You've never taken this before so I don't know how you're going to react to this."

He pulled out a small bottle with liquid the color of magenta inside. He took a syringe and filled it by a few centimeters. He tapped the syringe to rid some of the air bubbles. "How long have you been taking that stuff?" Brigitte asked.

"I've been taking this for two months. It reduces the symptoms almost like that." he said snapping his finger. "But before I give you this, you have to drink some of this sunflower oil." he pulled out a nearly empty bottle of oil from the cabinet in the kitchen area.

He handed the bottle over to Brigitte. Sam went over why he was giving it to her that way. "I couldn't mix it in with the plant extracts because it would be a heterogeneous mixture; not quite a solution. And for the simple fact that true oil like this can't enter into your blood stream any way because it'll cause severe coagulation."

"How much of it do I have to drink?" Brigitte asked.

"All of it. It should be enough. Not that you would need a lot of it anyway." he reputed. The oil had a very unpleasant smell so Brigitte held her breath when she drank it. She grimaced in disgust from the taste and the feeling.

Afterward, Sam rolled up the raggedy jacket sleeve Brigitte was wearing and cleaned off a spot on Brigitte's arm. He gave her the injection. "You're going to have a violent reaction to this, so you might want to hold onto something." he advised.

Brigitte prepared herself for what was about to come. Sam continued speaking while he was administering the dosage. "I have to be honest when I say that I didn't know how long you were going to last after I left Bailey downs. For the most part, I was hoping you would have made your own discoveries. I also thought there could be some type of possibility that we ran into each other again should you have find something else to retain the transformation. But after all of these years of going from place to place, I started to doubt that."

"Believe me when I say I doubted I would see anyone else from Bailey Downs again." she responded. After a few seconds, she got dizzy. Her heart began to race, the room felt hot and her blood felt like lava flowing through her veins. The entire Rambler room was spinning out of control.

She grabbed onto the table next to her. She bit down hard on her teeth. She screamed loudly in agony and pain. Sam left her side briefly to run over to the sink and wet a towel. He came back to her as quick as possible an placed the cool wet towel on her face. Brigitte grabbed both of Sam's shoulders and began squeezing him tightly.

Her long nails were digging into his shoulders. It was painful, but Sam understood what she was feeling because he had gone through the same thing. He continued to apply pressure to her head with the wet cloth. He had to wait at least 10 minutes until the side effects wore off. In that time, her ears had gone back to normal, her eyes changed back, and her nails were normal as well.

Though she appeared fully human now, Lycanthropy still flowed through her veins. After all had been done, Brigitte collapsed. Sam threw the cloth aside, took her up in his arms and laid her in the back of the Rambler in the bedroom. Since Brigitte saw the female wolf, he figured that she was there looking for him and was probably on her way to where he was.

He ran out of the RV and back to the fishing store as fast as possible to get the leeches and be out of there before the wolf came. He could feel her getting closer and he didn't like that feeling at all.

Sam bought five cans of leeches and made it back to the Rambler. He started the engine as fast as he could and sped out of town and onto the highway. It was snowing so Sam couldn't drive too fast or else he might crash the van.


	3. Lycan Facts

All the while Brigitte was sleeping, she was in a world of her own. She was standing in the middle of nowhere with ominous darkness surrounding her. The skies were mixed with colors of very dark purple, black and smokey gray.

She stood next to a leafless oak tree that looked as if was burned black and covered in ashes. Out of the darkness came Ginger, looking as snide as ever. Of course it was all in Brigitte's head, but it felt real to her. Ginger began to speak once she was a few inches in front of Brigitte.

"Great! Just when something good is about to happen, something else comes along and ruins it! First the leeches and now that wretched Sam!" Ginger yelled in frustration. She continued her oral reign of terror. "He's still the same. Doesn't seem like he's changed much. He just better be glad that I'm dead because I'd sure enjoy killing him. Again." She rambled on.

"It may be a bad thing for you, but it's a good thing for me. Besides, It looks like Sam found something closer to a cure. If we could just improvise on it some more, then I guess we would be able to create the 'fairytale' cure." Brigitte mocked Ginger.

"Don't press your luck! Besides, I already know why that wolf back there tried to kill you. And it's only a matter of time until your boyfriend breaks from the basement and comes looking for you again." Ginger informed.

Brigitte hoped the wolf wouldn't get out. But from the way Ghost acts, she was almost certain that Ghost would indeed let him out thinking it was her. "I have to go back for her!" Brigitte cried out.

"And how are you going to do that B? Sleepwalk! From what it seems, you're not even close enough to make it back there in time. Ghost is history.

And I always hated the fact that you tried to replace me with her as a sister! If you ask me, I don't care if she dies. She's so stupid, that wolf would be doing me a favor." Ginger fussed.

Brigitte didn't like her sister's attitude. "First of all Ginger, I was not replacing you with her. I would never try to replace you with anyone because no one is like you. And as crazy as Ghost is, she doesn't deserve to die." Brigitte straightened out.

"You mean like Tyler? Did he deserve to die? I mean after all, he was the one who was giving you what you needed yet you fell for Ghost's lies and had an innocent man killed. You tell me that Ghost doesn't deserve to die? I wouldn't be surprised if hell wouldn't accept her for being so fucked up in the head." Ginger schooled Brigitte on her actions,

Brigitte rolled her eyes. "Why won't you just leave?" Brigitte asked becoming more and more annoyed at her sister's presence.

"Well B, as long as you're in this bus-thing lying on your back asleep, I'm not going anywhere.

Whatever Sam had in that stuff it really knocked you out good." Ginger cracked a grin. Brigitte tried yelling to herself so she could wake up, but it wasn't happening. "One day B, you're going to thank me for all that I do for you.

But you can't be grateful as long as you keep denying what you are. You're not human anymore and we both know that. It's like fighting...not to be you." Ginger tortured her sensibly.

"It's not me that I'm trying not to be like, its you. I hated what you became and what you did to everyone when I tried to help you." Brigitte argued back. "If it wasn't for you, then I wouldn't be in this mess. You were the one who infected Jason McCarty and now he won't stop following me. You were the one who got Trina Sinclair involved with all of this madness which resulted in an accidental death; you killed the janitor and our principal and left a huge mess for me to clean up every time!

Then you tried to kill Sam. Every murder in Bailey Downs would have connected directly to us so I had to get as far away as possible and never return to that place." Brigitte finally released what had been on her conscience for years.

"So you're blaming all of this on me huh? Everything is now my fault, right? The minute Sam weasels his way back into your life you become so self-righteous. You're wrong Brigitte! For someone so smart you just can't seem to figure this one out! You got yourself into this mess by getting yourself infected.

And maybe if you would have stopped taking those doses of monkshood and just gave into being the beast that you are, you wouldn't have any of this to worry about. You would be a mean, killing machine.

Better yet, you wouldn't have human problems on your hands. No one would expect a wolf to have killed a teenage girl and then buried her beneath a shed. But no. you choose to try to stay human just so you can keep these problems on your hands." Ginger snapped again.

Brigitte was tiring of her sister's bad company. "I don't care what you say right now Ginger. I'm just glad you didn't kill Sam." she ended right after.

Ginger just laughed a sardonic laugh. Her sharp teeth showed. Suddenly, Ginger began to fade away and so was everything around her. It all faded away to a blur with echoes of Ginger's laughter. A seam of light then broke the blur. Brigitte was waking up.

Wherever she was, she knew she was moving. She blinked her eyes open a few times and lifted quickly from her back. She looked around the room she was in. Behind her was a window just above where the bed rested. She looked out and saw passing cars on the road.

She closed the blinds and noticed a full body view mirror on the right side of where she was. She got up from the bed and walked over to it. What she saw was her normal colored eyes.

She opened her mouth to peer at her teeth; they were normal as well. Her ears were normal and her nose was completely normal. "Wow." She whispered to herself. She was anxious to know what Sam used in the solution.

She opened the door and was able to see Sam driving straight ahead. She walked quickly to where he was. Sam saw her coming in the visor mirror and spoke before she could say anything. "Looks like you took that pretty well. The first time I took it, I think it knocked me out for half a day. Lucky for you it only took about three hours and a half." he said calmly.

"What did you use in that stuff?" She asked.

"Buckle up and I'll tell you." he intended for her to sit down in the passenger's seat. After she settled herself in the chair Sam began to explain. "For starters, I used some of the properties from the first solution of alcohol and Monkshood and added black orchid extract along with pure leech anti-coagulant; sunflower oil to reduce my testosterone levels, but not too much."

"Why testosterone?" Brigitte asked with curiosity.

"Well," Sam started, "from my experiences, I figured out a lot of stuff about Lycanthropy. If I could chase the traits then I could find out what to use for each effect.

For instance, depending on what level of testosterone you have built up makes the Lycanthropy progress much faster. And because I found out that testosterone heightens the transformation, I solved the mystery of why guys tended to turn faster than women with Lycanthropy." he explained.

"Wait, how did you figure that out?" Brigitte asked with pure interest.

"Um, a year ago when I was testing different things on Guinea pigs. I had a few females and males. I gave them Lycanthropy to see how well they reacted to the solutions I was trying.

What I realized was that all of the male Guinea pigs were turning much faster than the female Guinea pigs. At first I couldn't put my finger on it. But then, I had my own experiences. I recognized whenever I got angry, my Lycanthropy would act on it's own.

I would become a lot more violent and couldn't really think straight. When I calmed down, so did the Lycanthropy. I wanted to understand why so I took blood samples from a male and a female and tested under an electric microscope.

I still couldn't figure it out. Until one night at a bar when I won this thing off of some drunk guy on a bet." Sam's straight and explaining face turned into a beguiling grin.

"You mean this van?" Brigitte asked.

"Yeah. It was more of a serendipity really. A guy had pretty much the entire bar beat in arm wrestling and he got bored. I was the only someone in the bar that he didn't face so he decided to entice me into a challenge. Naturally I declined because I was too busy thinking but he just wasn't the type to take no for an answer. I had no other choice but to accept because I wanted him to leave me alone.

So the first time I didn't even try and I lost on purpose. Then he made a bet and told me if I could beat him, he'd give me all the money in his wallet. But I didn't care for that either. Then he went as far as giving up his Rambler.

I liked the sound of it so I agreed. What struck me at that moment was when he told me he was going to put my testosterone to the test. That's when it hit me. Men had more testosterone than women and whenever I got upset and wanted to rip shit to shreds, my testosterone levels were high.

So after that, I did some research on certain hormones. That brought me straight to oil extract from different types of plants; one of them being sunflower oil. Of course I didn't know where to go to find some so I had to ask around and...I guess that ends the story of the rest of my life."

Brigitte was impressed by one thousand miles. She could figure why Sam agreed to win this rambler. It _was_ a house on wheels so he wouldn't have to worry about packing everything over and over again. He could just start it up and go.

"So how long does this stuff last?" she asked.

"You wouldn't need another dosage until next month on the same day. That's how long it takes for your testosterone level to pick back up since you're a girl." he answered.

"So you use the leech anti-coagulant to thin the blood so the Lycanthropic germs would come to slow?" She summed up for herself.

"Exactly." he answered back. "Besides," Sam started back up. "it's been four years since I've seen a familiar face. What brings you out all the way out here?" he asked the same question she asked him earlier.

She answered him quickly and simply, "Jason McCarty."

Sam tore his eyes from the road briefly to look at her for a second. He turned his attention back to the road before speaking, though he glanced back at her quickly every now and then. "Right. Did Ginger have anything to do with him getting infected?" he asked low.

Brigitte nodded her head solemnly. Sam saw a look of lonesomeness on her face. "Well judging by the state that you're in and everything that's been going on, I'd say that I'm sorry for your loss, but she _did_ try to kill me."

Brigitte couldn't really blame Sam for being angry at Ginger. She wanted to move on from thinking about her sister so she looked for a subject changer. She gave a quick glance over to Sam. "So did you dye your hair or something?" she asked him.

"Uh, no. It's a part of Lycanthropy." he answered her question.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"While I was testing a few things on the Guinea pigs, I noted that Guinea pigs with light-colored fur turned white and Guinea pigs with dark-colored fur turned black. Since my hair was a dark color it turned black. Or like Ginger who has...had red hair, she turned into a white wolf." he broke down simply.

"So I'm guessing the wolf chasing after you either had blonde or red hair before." Brigitte guessed.

"More than likely." Sam answered.

"That makes a lot of sense." Brigitte informed. "So, what are the exact procedures you take when you make that stuff anyway?" She ended in question.

"When we make it to the next truck stop, I'll show you. You picked a good day to show up just when I needed to make some more." he grinned a bit.

For some odd reason, Brigitte felt safer than usual. She didn't feel like a wandering stranger the way she had been feeling in the last four years. She was more than happy to have ran into Sam, alive and well, despite Lycanthropy.

While she was getting comfortable socially, Sam started up again. "When I gave you the dosage I saw a lot of cuts on your arm. Were those suicide attempts or what?"

"No." Was all Brigitte exasperated, tired of everyone assuming she tried to commit suicide.

"So, why all the cuts?" he asked again. She wasn't ready to give an answer just yet. She didn't really know why, but she just didn't say. "Okay scratch that, have you managed to steer clear from infecting anyone?" he asked a different question." This one, Brigitte answered.

"I was perfectly careful. It wasn't hard anyway, I didn't stay places too long."

"Not even long enough to make new friends?" Sam inquired.

"It doesn't seem like you made too many friends." Brigitte shot back, seeing that he was obviously alone and on the run just as she was. Sam gave a 'I guess you're right' shrug.

After nearly 30 minutes, Sam came to a truck stop and parked in a parking lot filled with trucks and a few other similar ramblers. After he cut the engine, he paused a moment before blowing a deep breath and resting his back against the heavily cushioned seat.

"You know what the funny thing is? You were the first person that I ever really talked to in a long time four years ago. And now it turns out that you're the first person again that I've really talked to in a long time. How exactly does that happen?" Brigitte tried searching for an answer. Finally, she just shrugged an 'I don't know'. "Hmm. That's what I thought. I don't know what to think of it either." he said a little above a whisper.

Sam unbuckled himself and exited the Rambler through the main side door. Brigitte stayed in the passenger's seat and watched Sam go to the side of the Rambler and open a compartment. He brought out something that liked like a plastic fish tank with holes in it.

Within the plastic rectangular shaped box was a small, circular container with a tan rubber seal covering the top. Along with that was two bags of dried plants and sunflower seeds. He brought all of that on the inside and set them on the table in the mid section of the Rambler.

"This is the stuff that I use for the solution. But I'm going to make it after I get a cup of coffee and refill my tank." He told Brigitte who was gawking at the materials. "Hey, uh, do wanna cup?" He asked Brigitte.

"Alright." She said at normal speed.

"Well while I'm gone, you might wanna go get freshened up. You know, the blood and all is kind of stinging my nose. No offense. And frankly, the jacket you're wearing, I'd say that thing needs to be clean thoroughly." he pointed to it.

Brigitte looked down at herself. "This isn't mine. Believe me, I'm not too keen on this thing either. Unless you have something because I lost my jacket somewhere else." She redeemed herself.

"Yeah, sure." He humped his shoulders. "But you're going to have to get cleaned up first. The bathroom's right there." he instructed.

Before he left through the doors he asked, "Light or black?"

"Light is fine." she answered with her usual expressionless face. He got the memo and proceeded out the door. Before he got too far, Brigitte stopped him with another question. "What am I going to do about clothes?"

Sam came back inside and went to the back. He pulled out the longest shirt he had and gave it to her along with a dark red sweater. "You do know how to work a washer and dryer right?" he asked. She nodded. "Good. All you have to do is take the stuff you're wearing and toss them into the washer here." He said as he walked over to the laundry section.

It was behind a door across from the bathroom. The washer was on top of the dryer. "Looks simple enough." She said.

"I was hoping it would be." Sam closed the door of the washer and dryer. "Let's try to move as fast as possible because we still need to cover some ground to get away from these things." Sam advised.

"What are the odds of a werewolf breaking out of a locked basement?" Brigitte asked out of the blue. Sam recalled her saying that a wolf was locked in a basement, but he really didn't know the odds.

"I uh, can't say for sure. I guess it all depends on what kind of door and locks the basement has on it, but its all just a guess." He explained as best as he could. "You're worried about something else aren't you? Because if I were you, whatever the odds are about the wolf getting out wouldn't surprise me at all if it did get out. I'd be on my guard, but something else is bothering you right?" Sam pressed.

Brigitte wondered how was Sam able to pick up on certain things. She was beginning to think that She wasn't good at hiding any secrets. Since he already figured it out, she felt that she should just tell him.

"Back in town, I met a girl named Ghost. She helped me escape from a rehabilitation clinic for girls and the wolf followed us back to her grandmother's house. We set a trap to kill the wolf and thought it worked but it didn't.

I was turning myself so I told Ghost to shoot me, but she locked me in the basement instead. As it turned out, the wolf wasn't dead, just regaining strength. I escaped and ended up getting attacked by another wolf. The wolf that's after you. So I ran away and left Ghost back there." She explained.

Sam stood there with a 'that's it?' expression on his face. "So, you're worried that the wolf will get out and attack her?" He asked.

"It's not that simple. Ghost isn't the average girl." she included.

"You mean like yourself?" Sam compared. Brigitte was somewhat offended.

"No." She said hard as fast. "Ghost does stupid things and I hope she isn't dumb enough to let the wolf out of the basement." Brigitte summed up for him.

That baffled Sam. "Wait a minute, let's rewind here. Why would she want to let it out the basement if she knows its dangerous? I don't get that part."

Brigitte went over it with him with more details. "Ghost didn't shoot me because she thought if I transformed, she could keep me as some kind of pet to do whatever she wanted me to do. But it's not me underneath those basement doors and you can't train these things. Even if it was me, she still wouldn't have been able to control me."

"That's ridiculous." Sam said hard with stupefaction.

"She set her own grandmother on fire, Ghost _is_ ridiculous." Brigitte said quickly. Sam just stood there, taking in what he just heard.

"_Right_. So uh, with a person like that, I wouldn't doubt that she already let the thing out from the basement.

And I can understand that you would want to go back and save her, but you'll be putting your life at risk. I mean with two wolves back there, it isn't going to be easy. So the question is, how are you going to save someone else if you can barely save yourself?" He ended with a serious look on his face.

Brigitte understood where he was going. He wasn't anxious to go back and run into the female wolf again. And if the male wolf just so happened to have gotten out, then she wouldn't be in such a rush to run into him again. Not right after she tried to kill him.

She didn't hope for it, but Ghost was just going to have to be smart about what she does. And if she doesn't, then she brought it upon herself. At least that's how Ginger sees it.

Deep down, Brigitte knew she wanted to go back and try to save Ghost, but Sam was right about his opinion. Two can be as bad as one as the saying goes.

Sam was walking toward the door to leave when he stopped and asked Brigitte a question. "You should have gotten your appetite back, do want me to bring you anything? Or, maybe you can just come over if you want." he suggested lastly.

Brigitte thought for a minute. She did notice that she developed a taste for human food again and not the flesh of a bloody deer. "I'll go and see for myself. It's been a long time since I had a taste for food, so I wouldn't know what I would want." She admitted.

Sam proceeded out the door and left Brigitte to herself. Brigitte took off the malodorous jacket and threw it in the garbage.

Her shirt was bloody and she doubted that the blood stains would come out. She figured she should go ahead and get rid of the shirt also. As for her pants, they were through. The only thing she thought to wash was her underclothes and her socks.

* * *

The reason I thought to make the mystery wolf Jason McCarty was because of what Brigitte said on GS:Unleashed. She specifically told Ghost that the wolf came from the suburbs. It made sense to me since Jason was the only other infected residence at the time Brigitte left Bailey downs(which was the suburbs). I put more thought into when I figured, how would she know that wolf was from the suburbs when they didn't even know who the other wolf was that attacked Ginger. So I took advantage of what she said and made the wolf Jason.


	4. On The Run Again

As soon as she loaded her clothes in the washer, she went to the bathroom with Sam's clothes and took a shower.

After being in the cold for so long, the warm water felt really good against her skin. She washed her hair thoroughly and let the water run down her face a while. She really did feel bad about leaving Ghost back there with a really angry wolf under the basement.

Since it was in the middle of the day, Brigitte figured that the wolf was returning to full health and would soon be back out on the prowl looking for her again.

But maybe her being on the run from the beast would be different this time. Now that She had Sam to accompany her and help her find a long-awaited cure. At this time, she decided to stop thinking so hard. She was curious to know how the rest of her life would play out. She just hoped it would be better than it was in the last four years. Especially the last weeks she endured at the clinic.

Once she finished her shower, she stepped out in a steam-filled bathroom and wrapped herself with a towel hanging from the rack. When she was dry enough, she put on Sam's shirt which stopped at her mid thighs. The jacket was a little longer.

She wiped some of the steam off of the mirror so she could see her face. When she did, her face wasn't the only one in the mirror. Ginger's apparition had appeared again.

"You know for once, I'm going to have to agree with Sam. I wouldn't want to go back there either. Even if I did, it would be to see that girl getting ripped to shreds." Ginger grinned.

"I wouldn't doubt it since you enjoyed ripping things to shred when you were alive." Brigitte shot back.

"I hope you know that Sam is doing the same thing he tried to do four years ago." Ginger said in a warning tone.

"You mean finding a cure?" Brigitte asked, not really knowing what Ginger was thinking.

"I'm talking about him trying to get in your pants. He'll do anything that perv!" Ginger said disgustedly.

"Sam is not trying to get into my pants! I can see that he's too busy trying to find a cure to even have things like that on his mind! Besides, you infected him so he's just as determined as I am." Brigitte defended him.

"Don't try to save him Brigitte, he isn't worth saving." She spoke in a normal, yet upset tone. She continued in a different tone, "I hope you both know that you're kidding yourselves. Just like that monkshood, one day that stuff's not going to work. And then what will you do? Huh?"

"Well I guess we'll just have to keep trying. Now will you please go away?" Brigitte demanded.

"I don't take orders from you Brigitte. I'll leave whenever I want to." Ginger made it clear.

Brigitte rolled her eyes. Ginger spoke again before leaving. "Just so you know, Sam is a male wolf too and you're female. You'll really have to watch your backs this time." With that she disappeared.

Brigitte wanted to ask her what she meant by that, but she was already gone. She took a deep breath and tried to figure it out for herself. Just when she wanted to take a minute from thinking too hard, she ends right back up thinking harder than usual.

She would be more than happy to ask Sam's opinion on it, but the absurdity of hearing it from her dead sister would make her come off as being crazy. So she decided to keep that to herself.

Brigitte walked out of the bathroom and got a little light-headed. She felt as if she was about to faint so she held onto the knob of the bathroom door in case she lost her footing. Fortunately, she didn't. But she was still woozy from the effects from the dosage she got.

She returned to the bedroom and lied back down in the bed. She covered herself in the covers. Her sense of smell was so strong that she couldn't help but smell Sam's scent within the covers. It was almost as if she was drowning in his scent and his scent alone. For some odd reason, she liked it a lot.

Sam came back and didn't see Brigitte around. It was quiet except for the sound of the washer machine going. The bathroom door was opened so she wouldn't be in there. The only place that made since to look was the bedroom.

He tapped on the door lightly so he wouldn't disturb her. "Brigitte?" he said lowly. She didn't answer. He opened the door and pushed softly.

When he came in, he saw her lying on the bed. She wasn't asleep, just resting. Sam placed her cup of coffee next to her on a nightstand.

Sam spoke soon after his hands were empty and he was seated in a chair beside the bed. "Hey um, I'm about to get started on making the solution. If you wanna stay here, by all means."

Brigitte lifted from her resting position to a sitting position. "My clothes are done." She said while sliding out of the bed.

Once she was from under the covers, Sam couldn't help but notice that scars were on her legs as well. He thought of asking about it again, but he didn't think that she would give him answer. He'd just have to find out in due time.

Brigitte took her clothes from the washer and loaded them into the dryer. Once she started those up, she began to walk toward the living room part of the Rambler. "Are you coming?" She asked, breaking Sam from his world of wondering.

He went along quietly. Once they were both sitting down at the table, Sam opened the transparent box with breathing holes in them and took out the materials.

He got up for a minute to get the leeches he just bought. Brigitte was watching curiously. "You know you can help by making a batch of the first solution." Sam told Brigitte.

That part of the solution Brigitte knew very well how to make. She poured the alcohol into a small metal pan and put in the dry monkshood leaves. She held it over the fire and paused for a second. Sam had gotten her attention when he put a glove on his hand and laid a leech on his arm.

Brigitte watched as the leech grew big, hairy and grotesque. Sam winced in pain while he allowed the leech to grow to be as big as his hand and three fingers thick. The leech was moving viciously just like the ones that had bitten into Brigitte when she was in the woods a few feet from Ghost's house.

It was now infected with Lycanthropy and looked just as blood-thirsty as ever. Sam took a bit of salt and put it on the leech in order to make it loosen its grip from his skin. He took his gloved hand and pulled it carefully off of himself.

He held down on the monstrosity with a very tight grip. He took the container with the tan rubber seal and held his bleeding arm over it. His blood was spread atop of the container. After he did that, he placed the leech on the lid.

The leech bit down into the thin rubber, thinking it was skin because of the blood. Once it bit down, liquids started to drip from the leech and into the container.

"This is a painful process, but it all counts in the end." he assured Brigitte. Brigitte nodded her head and took the brewing monkshood from the Bunsen burner and set it on the table.

All in that time, Sam placed the wereleech in the container with holes. He took another leech from the cup and did the same thing again. Brigitte could clearly see that he was having the leeches bite down on the rubber to release anti-coagulants.

"The bigger the leech gets, the more anti-coagulant it releases. But you can't let them get too big or else you won't be able to handle them." he lectured. Brigitte nodded, indicating that she understood what he was saying.

Once he drew some more anti-coagulant from the leech, he placed it inside with the other leech. He held the container up to visually measure if he had enough anti-coagulant. He was pleased with what he had.

Next, he grabbed the bag filled with sunflower seeds, shell and all. The seat he was sitting on had a drawer at the bottom on the side. He pulled it out and took out silver machine parts.

He connected them together piece by piece. Brigitte wanted to wait until he was done to ask him what it was. Then again, he was teaching her how to make it so he would probably tell her what it was anyway.

After he put it together, he began to explain what it was just as Brigitte suspected. "This thing here helps me extract my own oil whenever I need it. The oil is pure and pure has a better effect than anything else."

The machine was a rectangular contraption with a funnel-like part at the top. Sam turned the machine on. "You have to let this thing run a while to give it a good start. The temperature has to be just right." He explained more.

Brigitte was taking mental notes the entire time. While the machine was starting up, Sam went over to the kitchen area a brought out a small clear glass bottle and a funnel small enough for it. He sat it next to the machine and used a small metal slide to bridge the machine and the bottle together to make an alluvial sediment.

After the machine had run a while, Sam poured the seeds into the funnel at the top of the machine. The seeds went down the hole via a rotating screw on the inside. The machine crushed the oil out of them and the oil that was extracted went down the alluvial sediment.

The solid waste of the seeds came out another end and into a small container. It looked really cool to Brigitte. She sat and watched silently. The oil was gray-looking and had a funny smell. There were a few small chunks of solid sunflower seed pieces in it but Sam would take care of that.

After the first load of seeds went through, he poured in some more. Afterward, he went into the refrigerator and pulled a bag of black leaved flower petal outs. "These things here are the black orchids. Vampira Orchids to be exact.

They're very hard to grow so that's why I have some growing in all kinds of areas in Canada. I actually have to head back west to pick out some more." he told.

Sam took the Bunsen burner Brigitte used a short while ago and emptied the monkshood into a separate bowl before he placed the Orchid Vampire petals into the dish. He then placed a lid over the bowl and watched as it steamed up quickly.

Brigitte already knew what he was doing so he didn't have to explain that much. Sam took the bowl off of the burner a few minutes later. When he took the lid off, he tilted it on the side over the bowl that held the monkshood to let the precipitated liquid fall back into the bowl.

The flower petals were soggy. He pressed down on them with a spoon and let the liquids flow to one side of the bowl and into the other bowl. The color of the liquid was a really dark purple. A tad darker than the last.

The color outcome of the combination was a deep magenta. He took a cotton ball and placed in in the really dark liquid. Then he took a syringe and gathered the solution, leaving any solid substances left behind in the mixture.

When that was finished, he added in the anti-coagulant he collected from the leeches. The mixture was lightened a bit, giving it the same color as the last batch. "So, this is how you make it. It's a tedious procedure but it's worth it."

Sam put the combination on the table and then began to break the machine back apart. He took the parts over to the sink and washed them clean. He left them there to dry.

"I'm guessing that you're some kind of neat freak, right?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I think you know why." she looked at him seriously.

Sam took a minute before speaking. "Yeah, so what if I'm a neat freak, is that bad?" he asked, not because he was offended, but because subconsciously, he didn't want to turn her off in any way.

"I didn't say anything was wrong with that. I just wanted to know, that's all." she said plain and simple. Sam took a deep breath and blew softly and took a seat.

He took the oil from the oil pressing machine. He went back into the drawer where Brigitte was sitting and took a sifter with fine holes. He ran the oil through there to pick out the rough pieces that were still there.

As soon as they were out, He took the oil and put it in the refrigerator. "So I have one more question for you." Sam insinuated.

"What?" Brigitte asked.

Sam answered her question with a question, "Are you alright to come along with me? I think I could use some of your expertise in finding a cure." he ended.

"You came closer to finding a cure than I did. How can I possibly help?" She doubted.

"I know you've heard this saying 'you can know some of the things some of the times but not all of the things all of the time', right?" Sam asked.

Brigitte nodded. "See, I can know these things. But there might be something that I'm over-looking. Something I can't see, that maybe you can see. We need to know more about these things in order to get rid of them or at least tell what their next move is going to be, so to speak." he explained. " For instance, is there anything about Lycanthropy that you know that I may not?" he asked.

Brigitte thought that maybe this was the right time to tell him why she had all of those scares on her legs and arm. "You know the scars on my arm? I wasn't trying to commit suicide, I was using myself to figure out how far the werewolf was away from me." she told.

"How does cutting yourself help?" he asked with wonder.

"Because the slower I heal, that means he's far away. The faster I heal, that means he's close. I don't know if it works with the same gender, but I'm speculating that it doesn't. If it did, then I would have healed much quicker when that other wolf attacked me."

"Wow. I've never thought about that. The only way I could really tell was if I could feel it in my veins or pick up a scent or either find out if someone's been mutilated by an unknown animal." Sam said with much satisfaction.

"And another thing. It's better to move away at night and rest during the day because that's the way they move. They stalk in the day time and make a kill at night." Brigitte added. Sam obviously hadn't thought about it that way either. Judging by the look on his face.

"So, do we stay here and rest now and then carry on tonight?" Sam asked.

"That would be the best way." she assured him.

"Well that makes me feel a lot better."Sam said with a bit of excitement. "You can go ahead and get your things from the dryer and I'll be pumping the gas." Sam said while swiftly heading for the door.

"Could you bring me back some pants?!" Brigitte called out to him. Sam was already outside, but he humped his shoulder, letting her know that he heard her. She went back to the dryer and got out her under clothes and put them on.

Once again, Ginger's apparition appeared on the side of her. "You know he couldn't keep his eyes off of your legs." she started.

"He just wanted to know why I had the scars, so I told him. There's nothing more to it." Brigitte admonished.

"Stop lying to yourself B! You know there's more to it as well as I do. And there's probably more going on in that thick head of his than you think." Ginger instigated.

Brigitte blew her off and changed the subject. "You said you knew why that other wolf back there tried to kill me. Can you tell me why?" she asked firmly.

"I can. And I would. But I won't. Not right now. I wanna know if you can figure it out for yourself. I'll give you a day. And if you can't, I'll tell you."

"Damn it Ginger If it's something I need to know, then I need to know it now!" she yelled. "I need to know if she's going to try to come for me again with everything she's got. Please Ginger! Tell me!" Brigitte yelled anxiously.

"You sound scared B. Are you scared?" she said snidely. Brigitte knew Ginger wanted her to cower before her for an answer so she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

"You know what, you're right. I'm going to see if I can figure this out for myself."

Ginger was somewhat disappointed. "Alright fine, I'll give you a hint. It's all about you and Sam." After that, she left again.

Brigitte was getting tired of Ginger's sudden appearances. She wished there was a way to block her out of her mind. She missed her sister true enough, but she was also very annoying at times.

She went back to the back room and put on her underclothes before grabbing her coffee off of the dresser. It cooled down a lot so she warmed it back up in the microwave. She walked over to the couch and sat down. She took a good look around.

To be in an RV of that size was more comfortable than the motels she had been staying. It was warm and cozy just like home. She took a moment and looked outside the window behind her. It was getting dark. Only a few more hours and it would be time to leave.

She laid her head back against the couch and drank her coffee sparingly. She was hungry, but she was going to wait until Sam brought back some pants for her. The quietness was so alluring and soothing for her that she dozed off unintentionally.

Some time later, she was awakened by Sam coming back inside. "I didn't know your size, so I just guessed. You don't look that big anyway." he said handing the black pants over to her. He turned around so he wouldn't invade her privacy.

"Don't you think it's a little too late for that?" she told him while putting on the pants.

"Too late for what?"

Brigitte didn't answer his question. The pants were a tad bit big, but it was just fine. Sam turned back around once she was finished. "Are you going to answer my question?" he asked curiously. Brigitte shook her head before retrieving her shoes.

She walked out of the RV without telling or even motioning to Sam that she was leaving. He just followed her silently.

Sam and Brigitte ordered food that didn't contain any kind of meat. They noticed, and they both tried to decide whether or not to ask. They may have had the same reason, but there might be a slight chance that they had different reasons.

Sam was the first to ask. "Have you always been a vegetarian?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Brigitte admitted.

"No." Sam answered first.

"Neither have I." Brigitte said next.

"What made you go vegetarian all of sudden?" he asked.

"Take a wild guess." she said without cracking one smile.

"Well then your reason is mine. Not to mention the fact that it does increase your testosterone. But I also have to say, if you had been eating meat in the last four years, then the monkshood would have rejected you years ago. I guess that's a contributing factor as to why you were able to hold off the transformation as long as you did." he commended her subtly.

"If testosterone didn't have anything to do with the transformation, would you have gone vegetarian?" Brigitte asked.

"Yeah. The testosterone part is just the first part. The second part is your same reason. You don't want your cravings for red meat to be so bad that you kill someone just to get it. I don't think I would be able to forgive myself for that." Brigitte nodded her head to show that she agreed. "You haven't cracked a smile since I've seen you. Are the nerves in your lips dead or something? Or maybe the nerves aren't connected to the right part of your brain any more" he joked.

It was kind of funny to Brigitte so she cracked a small smile. "Maybe that counts for something." Sam said, seeing that she still had nerves in the side of her lips.

"Is it not embarrassing for you to keep dropping your testosterone level?" Brigitte asked.

"Why? Because I'm a guy?" Sam wanted to be clear. Brigitte nodded. "Sometimes. But if it means me not turning into one of those snarling smelly things then I have no choice but to be fine with it."

All of a sudden, Sam froze as if he was stone. He had a look on his face that concerned Brigitte. "What?" she asked, feeling anxiety rushing through her heart.

Sam tuned his head swiftly to the window of the restaurant and looked across to the truck stop. "You can't be serious." He said in a whisper.

"What?" Brigitte asked in a frightened whisper.

"She's gotten closer. She's never moved that fast before."He turned his attention to Brigitte.

"How close is she?" Brigitte asked in the same terrified whisper.

"Not too close, but still close." he said.

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"I can feel my blood getting warmer and rushing through my veins." he said a little above a whisper.

Both of them looked out at the darkening skies. "I think we should go now." Brigitte advised. Sam paid for the food and he and Brigitte returned to the RV. They remained calm the whole time. Mainly because they didn't want to cause a scene.

Brigitte sat in the passenger's seat and Sam started up the RV. He got back on the highway and headed west. "I don't understand," Brigitte started off, "you said that she had never moved this quick before. What does that mean?"

"I don't know. The only thing I know is that she had never moved this quick before. She was always hot on my trail but not like this." Sam said while trying to figure it out for himself.

Brigitte began to think about what Ginger said. When she said that she and Sam had better watch their backs this time. She wanted so badly to tell Sam to see if that piece of the puzzle might help. But she knew that he would think she was out of her mind if she told him Ginger told her.

That was a real nail-biter. She thought harder and harder. The wolf moving quicker than usual, Ginger telling her they needed to watch their back, the wolf chasing after Sam trying to kill her for some apparent reason.

None of it was really making since. She could understand why she would have to watch her back, but she couldn't understand why Sam would have to watch his. After all, the wolf was not going to kill Sam if she wanted to mate with him.

"Looks like you're really thinking about something." Sam called over to her.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked in her usual dull tone.

"You just have really distinct facial expressions. That lets me know that you've been using your expressions to do the talking for you for a long time." he summed up.

That made since she hadn't really talked to anyone for a while. Other than Ginger and Ghost. Apart from that, in that moment in time, she really wished that she would have given in and begged Ginger for an answer.

The only thing she could hope for was for Ginger to pop back up again. She didn't know when, but she hoped it would be really soon because she needed some answers.


	5. Two Heads Are Better Than One

Seconds went by that turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. Sam drove all night long. His eyes were heavy, but he wanted to make sure they were as far away as possible. Brigitte was up as well. She had been thinking so hard, she wasn't able to sleep.

She looked over to Sam and saw how drowsy he looked. "Do you want to stop for a while?" she asked. He shook his head, concentrating hard on the dark road. "Why not?" she asked again.

"I want to make sure we cover some real ground and get a safe distance. At least to stop somewhere and figure out some more ways to find a cure." he spoke straight.

He rubbed his burning eyes and forced himself awake. "Maybe I can drive a while while you sleep." Brigitte suggested.

"Do you know where we're going?" Sam asked. Brigitte didn't think about that.

"Where are we going?" she asked a few seconds later.

"Where we're going will take a few days to get there. Depending on how the weather is." he answered with very little information.

"Why so far?" she asked.

"Because if I take the same route over and over again, she'll predict where I'm going next being that she isn't a stupid wolf.

Whoever she used to be, I see her way of thinking hasn't changed. I just wish she wasn't so damn smart. Not that I have anything against girls being smart." he said looking over to Brigitte, hoping that he didn't offend her.

"You didn't offend me, if that's what you think. I was actually wishing the same thing." Brigitte affirmed. Thinking about the wolf's unknown origin made Brigitte wonder. "You said you ran into this wolf almost two years ago right?"

"Right. Why?" Sam was curious to know what she was getting at.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with her getting infected would you? Maybe by accident?" she asked seriously.

"Of course not. I know for sure that I haven't infected anyone." he said certain of himself.

"Are you sure you didn't leave any used needles anywhere? Or...nevermind." she trailed off.

"Nevermind what? What were you about to say?" he asked anxiously.

"It's nothing, just forget it." she said quickly.

"If it's something else you think I might have done, I wanna hear it." Sam said firm. Brigitte knew he wasn't going to stop asking until he got his answer. In some ways, they were similar. If there was something that needed to be known, they'd stop at nothing until they know it. Finding a cure was one.

Brigitte went ahead and said what was on her mind. "Do you think you might have met her while she was human and thought you had protected sex and you didn't. So you left thinking that she wouldn't get infected."

Sam was greatly flabbergasted. His mouth was opened after he heard what she said. He was nearly speechless. His next sentence was kind of shaky because of his reaction. "I...I don't...really blame you...for speculating that...but, I am absolutely positive, that it wasn't me who infected her because I...haven't touched...anyone since I got infected. So that is out of the question."

His face went red while he was explaining that. It was sort of embarrassing explaining his private life. Especially to someone he really liked. Maybe even had a crush on. But he wouldn't let himself think that far into Brigitte.

It was obvious to Ginger that Sam might have had a crush on Brigitte when she was living. In fact, she was kind of hoping that Brigitte would find her and Sam together so she could ruin whatever chance they had with each other.

In her mind, Brigitte was her property and she wasn't giving her out to anyone. Even if the person was truly genuine and trying to help, like Sam. Even though she was a wolf at the time and may have lost her memories, she still had an existing burning malice against Sam.

Even in death, she despised Sam and wished that she would have killed him for certain. Because now she was dead and he and Brigitte found their way to each other again, there was nothing she could do to prevent any kind of feelings they had for each other.

Sam drove for another fifteen minutes, then decided to pull over for the night. "We should be fine here for now." he said after parking the RV in a vacant parking lot of a public park. He and Brigitte unbuckled themselves and went toward the back.

"Where are you going to sleep?" Brigitte asked.

"Right here." Sam pointed to the couch. He moved the cushions out of the way and pulled out a bed. He laid his restless figure down and drifted to sleep slowly.

Brigitte went further back to the bedroom. She took off the jacket and her pants before getting into bed. She lied down with the light on, looking at the digital clock. It read 2:17 A.M. Sam had been driving longer than she thought. When she felt tired enough, she clicked the light out.

The next morning at Ghost's

Ghost was in the attic doing her usual comic character combinations. She had gotten rid of Alice's body, cleaned any blood that was left on the floors and fixed the place up.

She put up a welcome back sign for her grandmother, who was returning home later that day. Ghost just knew that 'Brigitte' was ready to get out and have a taste for human flesh.

When the evening rolled around, Barbara and her orderly arrived in the driveway. Ghost ran down the ladder of the attic and happily greeted her grandmother. Barbara knew better than to take Ghost lightly. She didn't know what she was up to next, but she knew it was something.

'Brigitte' wasn't banging on the door at that moment. Probably tired of banging all morning and took a moment of rest.

Barbara was in a wheel chair so Ghost rolled her to her room. Ghost told her that she was going to go and get her a cup of hot cocoa to make her feel more at home. The orderly who was caring for Barbara at the time checked with Ghost to tell her if she needed anything to call and they would be there to help.

Before the orderly left, she asked Ghost had she seen either Tyler, Brigitte or Alice around because they hadn't returned to the clinic some days before.

Ghost said she hasn't seen either of them and was at home awaiting Barbara's return the whole time. Then she asked Ghost how was she able to get back home.

She said Tyler brought her back home and left soon afterward. The orderly told her if she heard any sign of them, let them know right away.

Ghost locked the door as soon as she left. She went back to her mischievous plot soon after. She tied a rope to the latch that held the doors bolted down. She went to the refrigerator and got a bloody piece of meat she got from the deer that was caught in she and Brigitte's trap meant for the male wolf.

She climbed up safely to the attic and pulled the string to let 'Brigitte' out on her enemy. She gave a tug on the latch and it came loose.

The wolf emerged slowly. It was snarling loudly. Barbara was able to hear the snarls and got excruciatingly scared. Her heart beat was quick, sweat rolled between her eyes; she trembled with fear.

Ghost left her wheel chair to where Barbara was facing the door. First she heard the noise. The shadows came next. Soon, the hairy beast walked in front of the door.

Her eyes were wide with fear. Her burns were still bad, but she was considered safe to be at home for a day or two. But her home wasn't so safe anymore and neither was she.

The wolf saw the woman and snarled loudly. Adrenaline pumped through her. She couldn't scream, so she panted like she was having a heart attack.

The wolf sprang at the defenseless woman and mutilated her to death. Ghost heard as 'Brigitte' was ripping the woman to shreds. "Welcome home Barbara." Ghost said to herself.

Ghost threw the meat down on the stairs of the basement so 'Brigitte' would go to eat it and she close 'her' back in the basement and wait for more of her enemies to come around. She was even thinking about making a collar for 'her'.

Ghost came out of her reverie when 'Brigitte' came sniffing around in the hallway after 'her' kill. Ghost was waiting for the wolf to take the bait.

She watched the wolf sniff out the red meat on the steps. It looked like 'she' was going to take the bait, so Ghost held onto the rope tighter. When she did, the wolf saw the movement from the rope and yanked on it so hard that he pulled Ghost down from the attic.

Ghost fell onto the floor hard. The wolf saw her and immediately began attacking her. "AHHH! STOP! BRIGITTE IT'S ME! AHHHH! STOP! OBEY ME! AHHH!" she screamed while the wolf was scratching and biting her.

Blood was all over the floor. The wolf didn't care what Ghost was saying and it wasn't Brigitte. He eviscerated her, leaving her intestines all over the floor. He bit a chunk out of her neck and scratched the skin off of the side of her right cheek.

He bit down on her arm so hard that he chewed it completely off. It ended up on the opposite side of the hall. She was a bloody mess when he got through with her. It was so much blood that the blood leaked in thin streams down the stairs of the basement. The wolf had showed that he was very angry and Ghost paid for it.

As soon as he was done mutilating her, he burst through the window to continue his search for Brigitte. Barbara and Ghost's bodies were lying in the middle of large puddles of blood.

Meanwhile with Sam and Brigitte's

Sam got up early, showered and continued to drive. He left Brigitte in the back room sleeping. Brigitte was so exhausted that she slept all morning and into the early evening. When she finally woke up, she looked at the clock that was 15 minutes before 2.

She jumped out of bed and put on her pants, she couldn't believe that she slept so long. She could feel the RV moving. That let her know that Sam was already awake and back on the road. She went straight into the bathroom to freshen herself up.

She didn't have a toothbrush, but Sam had really strong mouthwash. That was good enough. She suddenly realized that she hadn't slept with her toothbrush in her mouth as she usually does. She opened her mouth to make sure her teeth hadn't elongated wile she was sleeping.

Then she recollected that she didn't have to worry about that because she had a dosage that was more prominent than what she used to take. That much was relief to her.

When she was finished, she made her way to the front and sat in the passenger's seat. "Hey." Sam acknowledged her.

"How long have you been driving?" Brigitte asked casually.

"Four hours. You've been sleep a long time I didn't want to disturb you."

"How well do you know this area?" Brigitte asked.

"Barely. Do you need to go some place?" Sam asked.

"Two actually. The library and a place to get some new clothes."

"Alright, fine." he got off of the expressway on the next exit. He didn't know where he was, but he was going to find out. He rested the RV down from a train station.

"Where are you going?" Brigitte asked as Sam unlatched the door.

"To ask for directions. You can watch TV or something while you wait. I'll be back." he left soon after that. Brigitte sat a while before turning on the TV. It was a lot of Christmas programs that came on since it was still wintry outside and Christmas had long since passed.

It began to snow outside and the winds blew softly. It was comfortable watching TV and it snowing on the outside. Brigitte's moment of peace was abruptly interrupted by Ginger's apparition again. She sat in the driver's seat that was rotated towards Brigitte. "Have you figured it out yet? I gave you a day so surely you must have figured something out by now."

Brigitte got up and went to the back. "You should really let me know when you're about to show up." Brigitte said annoyed.

"Why? Am I being rude, B? Well excuse me for my bad manners." She mocked.

"Will you go away? I'm thinking right now." Brigitte straightened with her.

"You were? I could have sworn you were watching television." Ginger corrected her.

"As soon as I get to the library and figure out some more things about wolves, I 'll be able to piece this whole thing together."

"Well I'll be here when you do." Ginger reminded her.

"Of course you will. After all, you're just a figment of my imagination so you're bound to be everywhere I go."

Sam had just walked in from getting directions. He barely got Brigitte's name out of his mouth when he froze. Brigitte and Ginger's apparition looked at him. "I–am–losing–my–fucking–mind." Sam said in a whisper.

Brigitte followed Sam's eyes and saw that he was looking in Ginger's direction. Ginger was looking back and forth between he and Brigitte, wondering if Sam could see her also.

"What are you looking at?" Brigitte wanted to know. Sam didn't know what to say as he was lost for words.

"Um, didn't your sister turn and die?" he asked weakly.

"Can you see her?" Brigitte wanted him to confirm.

"Can you?" he asked in a whisper without breaking his stare from Ginger.

"What the hell are you staring at?!" Ginger yelled to him.

"Okay, I've completely lost my mind!" Sam said astonishingly.

"Maybe you haven't." Brigitte said a bit zealous. "I can see her too. Just to be sure you see and hear what I hear, did she ask you what were you staring at?" Brigitte asked, hoping he was able to see and hear the same thing.

"Yeah! She said that! Why am _**I **_seeing her though?!" Sam said in shock.

"Goody. The perv can hear _and_ see me." Ginger said full of spite. "So much for being a figment of your imagination B." Ginger exasperated.

"Hey, watch it!" he yelled back to her.

Brigitte smiled a huge smile. She couldn't believe that Sam could see her. At the same time, she wondered _how_ was he able to see her. The moment allowed Brigitte to realize that she was free to tell Sam what Ginger told her. "Sam there's something I need to tell you now!" Brigitte said firmly.

Sam was so shocked that it was hard to get him to break his stare from Ginger. "Yeah what is it?" he said lowly.

"Ginger told me something that may explain why the female wolf is acting the way she is."

"Oh sure B, clue him in. It's what you always do." Ginger said, becoming upset.

"If you have a problem with me you can leave." Sam said strict.

"Make me! _IF_ you can." she taunted. Sam displayed a face of displeasure.

"Even in death you're annoying!" Sam said in a high pitch.

Brigitte stepped in between them. "Listen, I need you to hear me out." She told Sam. "We have to get to a library so we can solve some of these problems. Like you said before, we have to find out more about these things." Brigitte reminded him.

"Alright. But your sister better not show up there because I can't take another fucking minute of her." he spoke with malice.

"The same to you jerk wad." Ginger butted in. "I wish you weren't able to see me. As matter of fact, since you can see me, I'll tell you what I told Brigitte. I should have tried harder

to make sure you died when I was still living. I might have been a hideous beast, but at least I did something that I knew I was satisfied with!" she hollered.

"You know, you've been snapping at me for who knows what. What is your problem with me? Do you have some kind of vendetta against me? Hell, you barely knew me when we were in Bailey Downs and you already have a full blown prejudice over me!" Sam said frustratedly.

"I have all the time in the world, but not for this. And by the way, I came here to deliver a message to Brigitte." she turned her attention to Brigitte and spoke without missing a breath from her conversation with Sam. "I thought that I should lessen your stress load by telling you that Ghost became dog food a little while ago. She did exactly what you hoped she wouldn't do. If you ask me, you really overestimated her thinking span.

So now the wolf is out and he's looking for you now. The moment he picks up your scent in town, he's going to have a new target in mind." She looked at Sam with a poignant glare. Sam couldn't figure out why she would look at him when she said that.

She continued, "You guys better figure something out. Either you're going to keep running from them, or get rid of them once and for all. But I warn you it's not going to be easy for either of you because they're going to come at you with everything they've got."

"How do you know so much about this anyway?" Sam asked.

"Didn't you see me before I died? Oh that's right, you did." She picked at the fact the she attacked Sam. Sam's face went straight. "I know these things because, unlike you two, I thought like a beast and did what the beasts does. I became one of these things briefly, but I understand what it's like to be them. With that much knowledge on my side, I'd say you better listen to me."

"I don't understand Ginger. If you want me to become one of those things so badly, why are you helping me?" Brigitte asked.

"I would love for you to unleash what you're really made of B. However at the end of the day, you're still my sister. That doesn't mean that I don't want you to give in because I do." Ginger explained.

That was moving for Brigitte. To know that Ginger still cared about her opinion made her feel a lot better. Despite the fact she could be irritating at times.

"Alright! Enough with the dilly dallying. We need to get out of here, figure this stuff out, and find out how to keep from becoming one of those things." Sam pointed out.

"Since you both seem to have everything under control, I guess I'll see you two later." Ginger bade them bye, for now. As soon as she left, Sam felt his tense shoulders go loose.

"That was awkward." he said.

"At least I know I'm not going crazy," Brigitte said in relief. "because you can see her too."

"Yeah, but why me?" he asked. "What connection do I have to her? I can see why you would be able to see her because you're sisters. I have no kind of relation to her." he said with a baffling attitude.

Brigitte cogitated for a minute before speaking. "Maybe it was because she infected you on the same night I was infected. I think since the timing of infection was so close it must have made some kind of connection." she figured.

"If that was the case, then why am I seeing her now and didn't see her four years ago?" He tried to make sense.

"I read something some time ago that if you possess something from a dead person then you'd be able to connect with their spirit. So maybe I'm considered something physical of her's since we're related and made a stronger connection between you two." she figured.

"I suppose that makes sense." Sam went along with what she said, not really believing in superstition until now.

"And a fare warning." Brigitte started, "she tends to pop up when you least expect her or when you don't want her to."

"And how long has she been doing that with you?"

"Ever since she died. It feels good to have her around. But most of the times, she can be a real pain."

Sam didn't too much like that. "Thanks for the heads up." he said gratefully. "So, what I was about to say before your sister's unexpected visit, was that I was able to get some directions to the nearest library and clothes store."

"So were you able to understand what Ginger was hinting to us?" Brigitte said, taking her seat beside Sam.

"Beats me. But when we do find out, I'm pretty sure we can evade them better." he looked at her to get some kind of approval. She nodded her head in agreement. "Good. Now let's find out what we can." he said before getting back on the road again.

At the library

It was quiet on the inside. The ambiance was dull and the lighting was very dim on the inside. The lighting was mainly coming from a fireplace that was centered in the middle of the library and displayed the flames on both sides. Around it was a few couches and arm chairs for readers of they wanted to read by the firelight.

Brigitte and Sam were wondering around in the animal section, a section about flowers, and the fictional section of the library. They gathered up loads of books that were related to werewolves and regular wolves. They brought them all over to a round table at the edge of the library, away from other readers.

They had about 9 books sprawled about the table. They chose to do research about wolves first before they got to another plant that may help them with what they were going through. They began to flip through page after page, skimming the many sentences until they read something that caught their attention.

Across from them, they caught sight of a woman reading nursery rhymes quietly to her two children who appeared to be three and four years old. On the side of her table was a girl with big glasses, reading comfortably. And a man beside her with his legs crossed, reading the news paper as if he had all the time in the world.

Sam and Brigitte had the same occurring thought when they saw them. They wished they could be somewhere without facing mortal problems and constantly moving on the road. To be anchored in one place and not being bothered by anyone.

They had to tear away from the humbling sight and continue their work. Sam was looking in the folklore book about werewolves and Brigitte was looking up facts about wolves.

Brigitte found a passage in the book and read mentally before speaking in a low voice. "They say that wolves travel in packs. I'm not sure if these wolves travel in packs because there aren't any other wolves traveling with them." said Brigitte.

"Let's just hope there aren't anymore. Dealing with these two are enough. Anyway, you said Ginger told you something that you had to tell me. What was it?" Sam inquired.

"Ginger told me that we would have to watch both of our backs because there is slight chance that those wolves out there would kill us. The only problem is, why would they want to kill us when they want to mate with us.

Another question that contradicts that is the fact that the female wolf _did_ try to kill me. In the woods, she came after me as if she was looking for me. For what, I have no idea why."

"So how am I involved?" Sam asked.

"That's the part I can't figure out. I know _I_ was almost killed, but I can't understand why you would be. She's not out to kill you."

"You know if you think about it Brigitte, those things kill any one or anything they see. Maybe she was just walking along, saw you, and then decided to attack you." he guessed.

"Except the only difference is, she wasn't like all of the other attacks I've been through. I don't know how, but I could feel a hate for me within her. That was the weirdest part of it all." Brigitte explained as best as she could.

"You know, that still doesn't say how I'm involved. That wolf doesn't have a hate for me. I think you can already understand that."

Brigitte laid her hand on the side of her head and entered into a deep thought. Sam intervened with a question. "So what about this other wolf you were talking about? The one that's stalking you? Jason I presume. He wouldn't kill you because you have the same situation with him that I have with the wolf that's following me."

"I know he won't kill me. You can't tell me that it's not in their nature to kill their own kind because Ghost thought the same thing." Just mentioning her name made her shutter as she recalled Ginger telling her that Ghost was dead.

She shook it off and continued. "Ginger told me that as long as you and I were traveling together, we'd be in danger."

"Because we're together? Why would wolves care who you're traveling with? The only thing they're really concerned about is getting at us so I doubt that would even matter."

"Ginger told me it had everything to do with it...wait." Brigitte was struck with inspiration. She sat up straighter in her seat with eyed that were opened to new knowledge. "We're traveling together." she started to say.

Sam could patently see that she was onto something. Brigitte continued with problem solved excitement. Sam crossed his arms and listened with his undivided attention.

"The female is after you and the male is after me. Although we still look like ourselves, we are technically one of them anyway."

"And your point is?" Sam asked, wanting to get to the bottom of it right away.

"My point is that these wolves could very well be jealous." Brigitte finally summed. "The female didn't want me invading in on her territory, which is you. And the same thing with the male and myself."

"Hold on a second, let me back up here." He spoke quickly. "The last time I checked, I was not that thing's territory. But I do comprehend with what you're saying. It makes perfect sense. So now that we know that, I don't think we should separate just because." Sam said adamantly.

"We might have to. In order to lower their aggression or else someone else might get killed in the process. Or worst, infected."

"I say we stick together to figure this stuff out. For the years it took us to figure things out separately, it may take a few months instead of years." deep down inside, Sam didn't want to be away from Brigitte again.

Brigitte took a moment to think about it. She came to a conclusion and agreed that they should stay together to help each other solve ineffable conundrums. They dug deeper and deeper into the books.

Sam paused his researching to ask a question. "It is a male and female out there. So if they're following our tracks, won't they be on the same path heading in the same direction?"

"Yes." she said low and a bit dry.

"Do you think they may give up on us and find interest in each other?" He asked

"I hope so. If not, then we're really in for it. Besides, I found right here that wolves are monogamists. If they're that way, do you suppose that these wolves are monogamists also? If they are, then maybe we do have something to worry about." She stressed to Sam.

"I think I read something revolving around relationships in werewolf folklore. I don't know if it's true but it's better than nothing." he said scanning through the pages to find the one that was familiar. "Okay I got it. Right here it says: Werewolves go on a search to find it's life long mate..." Sam stopped reading right there.

"Uh oh." Brigitte said.

"Uh oh is right. If they picked us out as mates, then how do we get rid of them? We just can't go up to them and say, 'hey, I'm not interested in you so you're going to have to find someone else.' The only thing they understand is roar, roar, roar and all of that other bullshit. Who's to say that I called them attractive in their language. That'll just make them come even more."

"Is there something in the book that tells you how to reject them?" Brigitte asked. Sam looked over the page. He read silently. As he read further, his facial expression formed into a disgusted look.

"There is no way in hell that's going to happen." he finally said.

"What's wrong?" Brigitte asked him. He passed the book over to her so she could read it for herself. It read:

_Werewolves go on a search to find their lifelong mate as they are monogamous creatures. If ever a male werewolf is attracted to a female without the same mutual feelings, the lover challenges another male werewolf to gain the affection of the female. _

_On the females account, if they are attracted to a male, they tend to eliminate all other female werewolves that may prove to be a threat. A male may reject the female by choosing another mate and successfully mating with her. _

_Male and female werewolves become aggressive and more determined if they feel they are about to lose the mate they were seeking out. Sometimes, stalking can be involved in these love affairs between the wolves. _

Brigitte had the same facial expression Sam did when she was finished reading it. "There has got to be another way." Brigitte said desperately.

"Sorry B, there is no other way."Ginger said, appearing out of nowhere again. Sam nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. "I knew you wouldn't like the answer I gave you so I let you figure it out for yourself."

Even though they could see her, Everyone that was in the library couldn't. Brigitte tapped Sam on the shoulder. "I know you can see her, but everyone else here can't. So act casual and don't look at her directly or else people might think you're crazy." She lectured him.

Sam did as she told. Sam asked Ginger a question silently. "Are you saying that this book is telling the truth? That' it's not just fairytale?"

"Doesn't it make sense to you? You're the pro, you tell me if it's real or not." she chopped Sam down.

Sam was close to going off on her, but he had to keep his decorum and remain calm. Brigitte said something before things got heated between the two. "Turn to the front of the page, I want to see who wrote this book." She directed Sam.

Sam did as she said. When he turned to the front, the Author's name was in bold Italic print, **Hanson A. Ferland. ** And underneath his name, it read in a small font: _Based on real life and true facts_. Brigitte and Sam looked at each other for a while.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sam asked her.

"That we should find out who he is and where he stays?" She answered for him.

"Exactly." Sam confirmed.

"How are we going to do that?" Brigitte asked.

"First, we're going to find out where this book was published. Wherever it was published, more than likely that's where he'll be. After that, we go to a hospital within that range and go into the medical records. That should reveal everything about him. His age, address, zip code, telephone number, you name it."

"Hospital records are confidential, how are you going to get to them?" She asked , hoping there was a way.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"I hope you know what you're doing. And I hope we don't get caught. Because if we do, we're in deep trouble." Brigitte warned.

"I get the consequences, believe me on that one. But it's better than doing nothing at all right?" Brigitte had to concur. They took a look at the city that had the publishing company that published the book. It was right where they were.

Ginger spoke loudly since no one could hear her any way. "Well there you go! Good luck on finding him." she left as soon as she was done speaking.

"So are you in?" Sam asked holding his hand out to her. Brigitte placed her hand in his.

"I'm in." they gripped each others hands tightly and shook on it.

"Good. Next stop, clothes." They gathered the necessary books and checked them out.


	6. A Newcomer?

They brought the books back to the RV. While they were there, Sam went to the side of the RV and pulled out a small black box with a lock on it that was hidden underneath a huge pile of miscellaneous things.

He took his keys from his pocket and chose a small key. He used it to open the box. When he opened it, there was a thick bundle of $20 bills wrapped together with a rubber-band. He lifted that out of the box to reveal a medical card that was sitting under it.

He placed it into his pocket. Then he took more than half of the pile and put the rest back. "Where'd you get all of that?" Brigitte asked.

"Do you remember when I told you that I believed black orchids might have a vibrational essence that could cure chronic depression?"

"I think you might have said something like that." she tried to remember.

"As it turns out, I was right. So I leased my product and sold it out to hospitals. Next thing you know, they were leaving the shelves quicker than a garage sell. I get the royalties and they go straight to my bank account.

The funny thing is, nothing ever went right for me when I didn't have Lycanthropy. When I got it, I found a long lasting and effective medication, I won this RV, and I ran into you again." he said looking Brigitte deep in her eyes.

He saw the way Brigitte was looking at him as if he was in a distant land, far away from where she was. Sam thought about what he said and he realized the way he said it came off a little too romantic. He hastily left the subject.

"Not that I enjoy having Lycanthropy. I'm just saying it changed my luck, that's all. Maybe without I would probably still be stuck in that greenhouse in Bailey Downs facing the inevitability of my previous poor, pitiful, and miserable life."

"You didn't look that miserable." Brigitte reminisced.

"You don't have to say that to make me feel better because I was." He admitted.

"So what about the card? It had the Rod of Asclepius on it. That meant it was medical." Brigitte asked from her shrewd observation.

"Oh that. That is something I got in exchange for finding the depression medication so I can have access to any lab I want to in case I wanted to do some research on anything else. But it won't grant me to look into medical files." he said, knowing where Brigitte was going.

"Well you can just use that as an excuse to get into the hospital and dig out the file we need?" Brigitte suggested in the form of a question.

"That doesn't sound too bad. But if we're going to do it that way, we're going to have to wait late tonight while most of everyone is sleeping and the staff is thin." Sam included.

"Okay." Brigitte agreed. Sam locked everything back up and they made their way to where they needed to go.

In a small shop where they sold bundles of clothes, Brigitte grabbed a few shirts, long-sleeve sweaters and a few pants; a thick jacket kind of like the one she had before. She got two pairs of black and white tennis shoes along with black winter boots and some more underclothes. She wasn't too big on fashion, but she did what she could.

Once she got what she needed, she dropped it off in the RV. Sam told her he needed to make a stop at an ATM machine before they left there. Brigitte went along with him.

The ATM machine was located a block away from them. When they got there, Sam withdrew some more money from the machine and placed it in his pocket. They were to leave for the hospital as soon as he was done.

While they were preparing to leave, they didn't notice a thief was watching them from afar. He about Sam's height and age with short, dirty-blonde and disheveled hair accompanied by a soft yet rugged face. He paced over to them quickly and suddenly pounced on Sam and tried to rob him. He put Sam in a head lock.

Sam didn't want to try to pull his arm from around him because he was afraid he might scratch him and infect him by accident, so he elbowed him hard in the stomach. Brigitte looked on in horror. After a quick second, she gathered that Sam could hold his own.

The man let go of his grip around Sam to hold his stomach. Sam turned around and punched him in the face. The man fell on his back. While he was on the ground, he pulled out a pocket knife and got back to his feet.

Sam saw him draw the knife and stood his ground. When the thief got up, he ran up ti Sam with the knife pointed toward him. Sam caught him by the arm and held his arm back from stabbing him. Sam could have broken the man's arm if he wanted to, but he refused. The best thing he could do was push him away.

"Listen to me, if you know what's good for you, you'd stay back." Sam tried to reason with him without getting too upset. "I'm warning you. If you don't leave, you may make me do something that I'm going to regret." Sam said out of breath from fighting with him.

"Just hand over everything in your pockets and I'll go!" the man demanded.

"I'm not giving you my shit so just get out of here!" Sam yelled back.

"Sam we have to go now!" Brigitte told him.

"Nobody is going anywhere until I get what I want!" the man shouted. He charged at Sam with the knife in his hand. Sam moved out of the way and had the man trip over his foot. Even though he tripped, he still had a tight grip on the knife.

He took it and slashed at Sam's leg with it. It wasn't that painful to Sam though he drew a little blood. It only made him mad. Sam jacked the man off of the ground and head butted him multiple times. He busted the man's nose, making him drop the knife on the ground.

Brigitte looked around and saw a bystander witnessing the entire fight and dialing the police. Brigitte ran over over to the terrified woman and tried to stop her, but it was too late. She gave up on that and ran back over to Sam and tried to get him to leave.

"Sam we really have to leave now! The cops are probably on their way here and we don't need that!" Sam really felt like tearing the man apart, but he knew he couldn't do that. So much adrenaline rushed through him.

"Brigitte. You have to help me leave because I really feel like killing him right now." He begged her. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the downed man. When she was close to him, she could feel his adrenaline pumping through her.

She hurried him away from the scene as fast as she could. Soon, her ears were filled with the police sirens. From behind, the thief grabbed the knife and ran up to them again. He planned to hit Sam in the back and take the money as fast as he could.

When he ran, Sam could hear his foot steps tramping in the snow and turned around in time to catch his arm with the knife in his hand. Sam gripped his arm. This time tighter. and the man screamed in agony as Sam crushed down on his ulna and radius. The knife fell from his hand and into a pile of snow that propped it upright. Sam pushed him down hard.

His shoulder landed on the knife. He yelled again as it pierced the inside of his scapula. By the time that happened, the police had already arrived. "Great! This is just great!" Brigitte yelled.

"Sorry." Sam apologized.

"Don't be." She told him to let him know that it wasn't his fault.

The thief took the knife out of his shoulder and ran. One of the police officers got out of the car and chased the man down. The other police got out of the car to inspect everything. Sam and Brigitte stopped where they were. The police walked up to them and questioned them about what happened

Brigitte spoke for them. "Some guy tried to rob us at the ATM machine. So we defended ourselves." She said simply, not looking at the policeman directly.

The police wanted Sam to confirm. Sam stood there catching his breath with his arms folded and confirmed it. The other cop came back with the thief in handcuffs. The man's jacket was a dark-yellow color which allowed the blood to be seen visibly on his back. That caught Sam's attention. The sight made him look down at his leg.

"Can we leave now?" Brigitte asked the officer impatiently.

"Would you like to press charges?" the cop asked. Brigitte looked at Sam. Sam was looking back at the knife lying down on the ground.

"Sam?" Brigitte called for his attention. "This was your fight so you have to decide whether or not you're going to press charges." She told him. Sam took one more look at the knife quickly before looking at the officer to give his ultimatum.

"No. I'm not going to press charges. You can let him go." He said calmly.

Brigitte wondered why he wasn't going to press charges. She tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a 'what are you doing' stare. The cops asked him was he sure about his decision. He reiterated that the man was free to go.

Everyone, including the thief, wondered why Sam was letting him off the hook so easily. The cops had to do what he said and let the man go free. They took him out of the handcuffs and let him walk.

Usually a thief would run, but he hesitated and looked back at Sam with wonder. Sam looked back at him intensely. The thief turned and walked away, holding his shoulder. The officers checked with them one more time to make sure the situation was secured.

Sam said everything was fine. The cops had to take him at his word and left the situation secured. They got back into the car and left. As soon as they were out of sight, Sam began walking back toward the RV.

Brigitte walked a little faster to catch up with him. "Why did you let him go?" she asked, baffled.

"Because he used that knife and cut my shin." was all he said at the time.

"That doesn't exactly explain why you let him go." Brigitte pressed.

"The knife cut my leg Brigitte. The same knife that went into his shoulder. The minute he cut me with it, it became unsanitary." he explained more.

"Oh my gosh." Brigitte said in horror.

"You know I can't let them take him in like that. Not unless we're absolutely sure he's not infected." he added.

"We have to go and find him." Brigitte declared.

"I know." Sam said with frustration. "Looks like we're looking at a major set back." he ended not in a very good mood.

Sam put the cash into the black box as fast as he could. "Alright. We're going on a manhunt." Sam told Brigitte. "We have to hurry before the snow and the wind blows his scent away."

Brigitte and Sam ran in the same direction as the thief. The cold winds carried the scent of the man they were looking for; particularly his blood. They hurried along side by side to keep some warmth between them from the cold.

They trailed the scent all the way to a old, rusty bar. Sam opened the door and allowed Brigitte to go in first and then himself. They saw the skinny man sitting on a stool at the bar with some ice on his bleeding nose.

Sam and Brigitte walked over to him cautiously. When the man looked up and saw them, he panicked just a little. They took a seat on each side of him. "We need to talk." Sam started off.

"About the robbery...well the attempted robbery?" The thief began, "Why did you let me go? I could have killed you." He expressed that he was still bewildered about his decision.

"Quite frankly, no you couldn't have, but that's not what we're her to discuss." Sam assured.

"Then what is it? What could you possibly have to say to me that isn't related to the robbery."

Sam took a deep breath before explaining. "It's not going to be very well believable, but I bet you're wondering why I didn't press charges." Sam started off mellow with a bit of roughness behind it.

"Why didn't you?" asked the thief. Sam took a while, trying to find the right words so Brigitte answered for him.

"You could be infected with something that makes your skin split in two and rot." she said grimly.

The way she said it gave the man the creeps. Apart from that, it sounded preposterous. "Something that will make my skin split? You don't even know me. How could you know that I have something when you're just now laying your eyes on me?" the man felt like he was in a maze with the strange pair.

Sam answered that one. "I know you've heard of certain diseases that are passed through the blood right?"

"Right." the thief answered, not really getting his point.

"So, the knife you used to cut me is the same knife that went into your shoulder. My blood was on that knife, **sir.**" Sam said stern.

"Are you saying that you have a disease that you gave to me?" the man was beginning to panic now.

Sam was about to speak but Brigitte hushed him. "Come with us and we'll explain it to you more. We'll pay you if you do."

The mention of money was more than enough to get the man to raise in his seat. "You are serious right?" the man wanted to ensure.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Sam said quickly.

"Are you sure this isn't a trick?" he wanted to make sure again.

"It's not a trick. You have our word." Brigitte assured him.

"Just to make sure, how about you give me the money first and then I'll go wherever you want me to." he beguiled.

Sam knew what he was thinking so he cut him short by saying, "Listen, you're just going to have to take us at our word. Come with us first and then you can have anything you want. Not anything you see."

There was no sense in arguing with them. He took the ice he held up to his nose and threw in in the garbage on their way out. "Alright fine. I take your word for it." he agreed.

Sam and Brigitte walked him all the way back to the RV. Sam let him in first. Brigitte was about to go in but Sam halted her for a moment. "How much do we have to give him?" He asked.

"However much you feel comfortable with."

"What if he wants more than what I offer?" Sam asked again.

"I've never seen a person scared for their life worry about money before. So I doubt that you will have to give him anything at all." Brigitte left it up to Sam to figure out what she just said.

Sam humped his shoulders and went along with her. The man was in the middle of the RV, admiring everything in there. "Wow." he started in astonishment. "Now this is a good way to travel. I bet this thing was worth a fortune." he said.

"Don't even think about touching anything!" Sam raided in on his parade. The young man didn't care what he said. He flopped on the couch carelessly. "Don't don't dirty up my stuff either so take the jacket off." Sam ordered.

He shrugged while taking his bloodstained jacket off. He threw it down on the floor. Sam looked at him, revolted at his nonchalant behavior. "Don't you have any sense of home-training?" Sam said with a hint of fury.

Brigitte sat across on the opposite couch and watched on. Ginger showed up out of the blue and joined her. Sam kicked the man's jacket to the side of the couch, next to the booth section. He turned around and saw Ginger next to Brigitte. "Oh great! I think I died and went to hell." Sam said ill-at-ease.

"Wish you were there right about now." Ginger mouthed off to him. He was about to make remark when Brigitte caught him and told him not to respond because they weren't alone. Sam blew an exasperated breath.

"So what is it you have to tell me?" the man said making himself comfortable on the couch.

"Your nose stopped bleeding." Sam said to him plainly.

The man reached up to his nose and felt that no more blood was flowing out like before. "So what?" he asked. Sam and Brigitte exchanged glances. Ginger spoke for them, "Uh oh. Looks like someone might be infected."

"What's going on? Why are you staring at each other like that? You're freaking me out." the young man complained.

"What's your name?" Sam asked.

"Name's Drew. Are you going to tell me why you brought me here? Not that I don't mind."

Brigitte answered plain and simple. "Like we were saying earlier, you might be infected with something that you're not going to like. It may sound ridiculous but you have to believe us when we say that you're turning into a monster and not a very nice one."

"What kind of monster are we talking about?" Drew asked, trying not to laugh. Sam was tired of the answer looming around so he just said it.

"A werewolf Okay! You're about to become a big, ugly son of a bitch with the intent to tear everything to shreds. There, I said it!"

Drew snickered. That turned into a giggle. The giggle turned into a sarcastic laugh. "You know, I must admit that I've stolen a lot of things in my life. But it looks like someone already robbed you before I came along. Robbed you of your sanity." he said through his laughter.

Brigitte felt like going over there to give him a piece of her mind and then spring into action but she knew she couldn't do that. Instead, she went over to the refrigerator and pulled out the cup of leeches.

"There's only one way to find out and one way for you to take us serious." Brigitte said, taking the lid off. Sam lifted Drew from the couch with force and dragged him over to the booth area. He sat him down in the seat steadfastly. Brigitte sat on the opposite side.

"Hey man! What are you doing?!" He said with a bit of horror. Sam held him down by the shoulders while Brigitte went inside the cup and got out a leech. "What are you going to do with those?!" he asked at the slimy sight of it.

"Hold out your arm." Brigitte demanded him.

"So you can put that thing on me?! No way!" he said panting, trying to get from under Sam's grip. Sam hit him in the back of the head and told him to do what Brigitte said or else they were going to knock him out and put the leech inside of his throat.

Drew reluctantly held out his arm. "What happens when a leech is attached to you?" Sam asked Drew.

"I don't know! Suck your blood maybe." he said, still panting.

"Let's find out." Sam said balefully.

Ginger's apparition was sitting where Brigitte was sitting. "Do it." She told Brigitte. Brigitte laid the leech on his arm. At first it was just lying there, sucking his blood. They sat for a few seconds with no reaction.

The trio of Ginger, Brigitte, and Sam waited. "Do you think he's clean?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"I don't know. He just may be." He said in a low and unsure tone. Suddenly, the leech began to grow big and hairy. It got monstrous and began biting down harder into Drew's skin.

"Ow! Ow! Get this thing off of me!" Drew cried out. His eyes were wide open with shock. He was so shocked that he didn't even grimace in pain while the leech was biting him. Sam took the salt and put it on the leech. When it's grip loosened, he snatched it off of him.

"I guess that answers your question." said Ginger's apparition. Brigitte and Sam got up to put the wereleech with the other leeches that were hidden in the cabinet above the booth area. While they were doing that, Drew was still panting from horror.

"Now way! No Way! What the hell kind of leech was that!" he panted as he was holding his bleeding arm. Sam jacked him up by the collar and lifted him to his feet.

"Listen to me and listen to me good. That there was proof of what we were talking about. That was just an ordinary leech. But you're no longer ordinary pal. The three of us are infected with something called Lycanthropy. Do you know what that is?"

"I don't know man!" Drew said, still in shock.

"Have you ever heard of the term Lycanthrope?" he asked again.

"Nah, I never heard of any of it!"

Sam began to explain. "That is the name of the disease that you have. Actually it's more of a curse than anything. In this case, silver bullets, full moons, turning one night and turning back into a human and all of that other hocus pocus have nothing to do with this.

You're going to turn into a hideous beast if you don't stick with us. You can take the money and run if you want to but it's not going to help you get rid of what you have." Sam ended in an ominous, conspicuous voice.

He released him once he told him all he needed to hear at the time. "You guys are certifiable! You're crazy!" Drew yelled after Sam let him drop to the ground.

"Get the syringe." Sam told Brigitte. She got one of the bottles out of the refrigerator and a syringe from the aside door. Sam got the alcohol and cotton balls. He sat them on the blood spotted table. He grabbed Drew again and sat him back down.

Brigitte had already filled the syringe with the solution. Sam cleaned off his arm in order to administer the serum. "Hey! What is that stuff!" Drew asked upon seeing the needle.

"Something that will help keep you stabilized for now." Brigitte answered.

After Sam wiped his arm clean, Brigitte stuck the syringe in his arm and pumped the solution through his veins. "You're not going to react well to this stuff so prepare yourself." Sam warned him the same way he had done Brigitte. All except he didn't have concern for him like he had with Brigitte.

Ginger's apparition spoke up in a melancholic yet nonchalant tone. "Now that you guys have a new problem on your hands, how are you going to spare enough time to find the guy you need to find without the others catching up to you?"

"We'll just have to try." Brigitte answered.

"I should have expected an answer like that from you B."

"What other choice do I have other than giving in?" Brigitte asked.

"Give up." Ginger said obviously before disappearing.

Brigitte ignored her final response and concentrated on Drew who was now having a reaction to the solution. He was screaming loudly. Maybe even louder than Brigitte and Sam both. "I think his reaction is more painful since he's new to the whole infected thing." Sam guessed. Brigitte agreed.

Sam grabbed a wet towel and put it on his face and waited for his reaction to die down. When it did, he was out cold. "Alright, we have to get a move on." Sam called out.

"What do we do first?" Brigitte asked.

"First, I have to find a place that rent cars so we can get around faster. Then find a good place to park the RV for a while."

Sam went to the front and started the RV. Brigitte pulled out the bed from the couch and laid Drew down on it. After that, she put away any lose objects they left out. She soon took her place in the passenger's seat.


	7. Put Him To The Test

By the time they were able to accomplish the list of things on their task list, it was nighttime. Drew was still knocked out so they grabbed themselves a bite to eat. They figured Drew might be hungry as well so they brought him something back.

When they did get back, Drew was just coming to. "What happened?" he asked groggily.

"Nothing. Get up!" Sam demanded.

"Hold on! Give me a sec I can barely sit up." he argued.

"We have some things we need to take care of before we run out of time." Sam informed him.

"Well whatever it is you have to do, I'm pretty sure you can do it on your own. I'll just stay here and rest a little. It's been a while since I slept on a bed with two sheets." he ended lazily.

Sam snatched the covers off of him. "Get up! You can fall asleep in the back of the car." Sam shouted with irritation.

"What do you need me for?" Drew asked sourly.

"I _need_ to make sure you don't go off gallivanting with my shit while I'm gone now let's go!"

Drew rubbed his head as he sat up. "Alright already. I need to make a quick stop. Is there a bathroom around here somewhere?" He asked as he lazily slipped out of bed. Sam pointed to it. He followed Sam's finger direction.

"Think he should get a shower while he's in there?" Brigitte asked.

"Maybe. I don't know. Then again, we may not have time for that. We should really be going right now."

While they were in the middle of their conversation, they heard Drew screaming in the lavatory. He got their full blown attention.

He came rushing out of the bathroom scared pale. "What's going on with me?! There's blood coming out of me man! In places that it shouldn't!"

Sam and Brigitte saw the blood on the side of his pants and relaxed again. "Oh that, that's a part of the process." Sam spoke with relief.

"Process?" Drew asked in a high pitch voice with worry.

"Yeah. The process of you never being human again." Sam spooked him.

That didn't make Drew feel any better. "I hope you're just pulling my leg with all of this talk about werewolves and stuff."

"Doesn't the blood prove anything to you?! Or what about the leeches?! Have you checked the place where you got stabbed? It should be healed up by now." Sam argued back.

Drew went to feel his back and felt that his cut had indeed healed. It looked like he was about to cry. "What's happening to me?" he asked with a long face, sliding down with his back against the wall. His question was more of a self-question.

Sam and Brigitte had a bit of sympathy for him since they remembered what it was like when they first got infected. "Listen to me Drew," Brigitte said a bit calmer than Sam before. "there are two really big wolves out there following us. We have to get moving before they catch up to us again. I need you to cooperate with us. Please. If you don't, you're going to become one of those things as well and we'd have no other choice but to kill you." Brigitte tried to talk some sense into him by being as gentle as possible.

He sat and he listened. He didn't give a direct answer. Sam was getting impatient so he made him a sarcastic proposal. "Come with us right now and you can freeload off of us if you want. The offer will expire next year." He had his fingers crossed under his jacket sleeve.

"You two are really good with the bribes. I hope you know that I don't look forward to being one of these 'things' as you describe. But since you insist."

"As a matter of fact I don't insist." Sam said immediately after him. Drew aroused from the floor and onto his feet.

"He's going to need that shower I was talking about." Brigitte told Sam. He agreed. "But you're going to have to give him some of your clothes." she included.

Sam didn't want to. But if they were going to take him to the hospital with them, he was going to have to be clean. "Alright fine." Sam said after a while of silence. He didn't want to fathom Drew in his clothes right then because if he did, he was going to drop everything with Drew and let him turn.

That would be a very poor decision on his part so he reluctantly went to the back and got out some clothes for Drew. "Here, go in there and wash yourself. Don't take too long." he said with hostility as he gave Drew his clothes.

"Okay, okay. No need to get hostile." Drew took the clothes and went into the bathroom.

"I have a feeling that I'm really going to hate that guy." Sam said under his breath. He and Brigitte waited until Drew got out. When he did, he came out with a grin.

"Thanks for the threads. And the shower, it was great."

"Shut up and let's go." Sam said getting up. Brigitte got up as well.

"Does he always give everyone the cold shoulder?" Drew asked Brigitte. Brigitte didn't say anything nor did she make any gestures. She just turned around and exited the RV. Drew shook his head, "I don't know why I'm going but it looks like I have no choice." He walked out of the RV as well and followed Brigitte to where Sam went.

Sam and Brigitte rented a dark blue 2001 Nissan with a built in GPS that was in really good condition.

Sam and Brigitte sat in the front and Drew sat in the back. "So where are we going?" Drew asked the duo.

"To the hospital." Brigitte answered.

"Why the hospital?"

Sam was getting tired of Drew's many inquisitions. "Ask one more question and I'm beating the hell out of you, again." he fumed with irritation.

"Alright, sheesh." Drew pouted, sitting back in the seat.

"Buckle up." Sam said hard and casual.

Brigitte handed Drew a brown paper bag. When he got it, he opened it up and found a sandwich wrapped in white paper. "Whoa," he whispered, "is this mine?" Brigitte nodded her head. Drew spoke again, "Gee thanks." he said gratefully and took a bite out of it.

"Enjoy it while you can because sometime after this you can't have meat anymore." Brigitte told him.

Drew was too busy enjoying the sandwich he didn't think to ask Brigitte why. Sam looked at the GPS system and saw the closest hospital to them. He chose to take that route.

After Drew had eaten his sandwich, he sat in the back silently, fiddling with the healed scar on his arm. Brigitte and Sam were both in thinking mode. Both had very serious looks on their faces. Brigitte brought along two of the books they got from the library. The book based on different species of wolves and the folklore written by Hanson Ferland.

She was reading the one about the different species. The pages about the Gray Wolves captivated her attention. She mentally compared them with the Lycans that's on their tails. They had a lot of things in common.

Understanding those wolves would probably help them find more things about the way Lycans may behave. Brigitte read many interesting things. She didn't tell Sam what she read because he seemed to be doing some thinking of his own.

When they reached the hospital, it was 11:31 P.M. "So how do we go about this without getting caught?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"Are you two planning on steeling something?" Drew asked from the back. Sam and Brigitte looked back at him at the same time with a 'do you mind' glare. He pressed his lips together tightly. Sam and Brigitte took their eyes off of him to look back at each other.

"Like you said, I could use my medical card to get into the lab. Usually the hospital records are below the hospital the same as the lab. I suppose I could pretend to go into the lab but reroute to the records room without suspicion." Sam plotted.

Drew butted in again. "You guys don't know a thing about robbery. You're too innocent to even pull it off. You're too tense about it because your conscience level tells everyone else that you're up to something." he schooled them.

Sam and Brigitte turned back around to him. This time they looked at him with interest. Drew thought they wanted him to shut up again.

"Don't mind me I didn't say anything." he played innocent.

"No, you said quite enough." Sam told him.

"You're coming with us." Brigitte insisted.

"In there?" Drew pointed to the hospital.

"Let's go." she said getting out of the car. Sam switched on the child safety lock on the back doors so Drew wouldn't get out; therefore he had to open the back door for him.

"What do you need records for anyway? I could see if you were taking clothes, money, or maybe even jewelry. But you want to take a few sheets of paper?" Drew rambled. Sam and Brigitte gave him a death glare next.

"Say one more thing and I _am_ going to press charges." Sam threatened. Drew kept his mouth closed all the way to the hospital doors. Once there, Brigitte held out her arm and dug deep into her own skin.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sam asked as he watched Brigitte mutilate herself.

"I'm getting us access to the hospital." She answered.

"But I already have access." he acknowledged.

"I know that you do, but Drew and I don't. So he's going to walk me in there, pretend that I'm a relative or something and we're both in." She plotted. Drew took in what she said.

Her blood dripped to the ground as the blood rolled down her arm. She had scratched a huge gash in her arm. "Are you going to be okay?" Sam asked with concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'll heal soon anyway."

Sam understood and went along with her idea. In a trice, a sharp feeling shot through him. He couldn't stand to see Brigitte hurt. Even when the damage was self-inflicted. When she had a good enough injury, she and Drew went inside. Sam stood out there and waited for Brigitte and Drew to complete their part.

Brigitte had Drew walk her up to the front counter that was set immediately in front of the doors. "How may I help you?" asked the nurse at the front desk.

"My cousin's arm got caught on the sharp edges of a fence and she needs stitches." Drew responded with a plain face.

"Okay, may I have your name young woman?" the nurse asked.

"Ginger Fitzgerald." she answered trying to sound in pain.

The woman at the desk typed up the name into the computer quickly. "Okay I'm going to have a nurse look at you if you would just wait over there for a moment." she pointed them to a sitting area.

Once she appointed them, Sam walked in. He and Brigitte gave each other one look before going in opposite directions. Sam presented his card and the nurse checked the number along with identity. Once his information came up and confirmed his identity, she approved him to go to the lab.

The staff was thin as they predicted. The later it got, the less the commotion. The woman at the front desk told Sam where the lab was located on the hospital map. He kept that in mind and then asked to use the restroom.

She pointed to it in the same direction Brigitte and Drew went. He rendezvoused with them shortly after. "Alright I'm in. So as soon as you get a room, I want you to meet me in the hall to the left." he directed Drew. "Brigitte, I'm sure you know what to do." he said lastly.

Drew was in a disarray about one thing. "What if the nurse at the front sees me going in the wrong direction? She'll only point me back."

"Tell her the restroom is out of order on this side or something. Just say anything as long as it's not stupid." Sam admonished.

Once they went over everything, Sam left to go toward the lab. Once he was gone, a nurse with short brown hair and a short stature came in and appointed Brigitte and Drew to a room. On the way, Brigitte had to reopen her wound before it healed completely. She let out little coos of pain that was barely audible in doing so.

The nurse brought them to a room and told them she would be back with a doctor soon. As soon as she left, Brigitte tapped Drew's arm to let him know that it was time for him to spring into action.

For a thief like himself, he was used to playing as if he was doing nothing suspicious. When he reached the room where the front desk was, he saw that the lady was replaced with another one. "Her shift must be over." He said under his breath while he walked on by without blinking.

By the time he was in the clear, he went to the hall Sam was talking about and met him there. "Were you able to get by without suspicion?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Drew responded taking a deep breath.

"I need you to know so." Sam told him firm.

"No one was suspicious of me." he corrected himself.

"That's good to know. Now listen to me carefully." Sam brought him over to a map of the hospital that was displayed on that hall. He showed him where he needed to go. "And try not to forget anything." Sam admonished to him.

He handed Drew his medical card in case anyone wanted to know what he was doing down there. "If anyone asks what your name is, tell them it's Samuel McDonald." he instructed.

"McDonald? McDonald as in 'Old McDonald had a farm?'" he snickered a bit.

"Don't push me." Sam warned formidably.

"Samuel McDonald. Got it!" Drew confirmed out loud while taking the card.

"Hey! This isn't a joke. Don't get caught. This is a very serious matter and I need you to cut the clown act, alright." Sam warned him again.

"Got it. Don't worry, I'll get those...uh...what's his name again?" he asked while his mind was mangled.

Sam palmed his forehead, "His name is Hanson Ferland asshole, **Hanson Ferland**." Sam repeated to make the the information stick in his head. Drew nodded letting Sam know the information was imprinted in his mind. "How are you a thief and can't even get your facts straight? I thought thieves were supposed to know certain stuff in order to steal more efficiently without getting caught." Sam fumed.

"Actually, I've been caught a couple of times."Drew admitted. Sam looked like he was about to choke him to death. "But don't worry, I think I can get those files for you _without_ getting caught." he said to save himself.

"'Think?'" Sam spotted the word of uncertainty in his sentence.

"I _know_ I can get those files for you." he quivered a bit.

"You know, I don't think you have it in you to kill anyone. That's probably why it was so easy to hold you off. You weren't even trying to kill me, you were just trying to scare me up into thinking you would." Sam figured out his thieving methods.

"I see you caught on. I guess you're not as dumb as you look after all. Oops!" Drew said, cutting himself off as soon as he realized that his thoughts were subconsciously spoken. Sam looked at him with murder in his eyes.

"I'll be going to get those files now." he said while sauntering nervously away from Sam. Sam was beginning to doubt that Drew would be able to go through with it. But the fact of the matter was Drew had experiences with thieving and Sam had none.

"Just meet me on the outside when you get the files." Sam began to turn and walk away. Before he took two steps, he turned back around quickly to deliver more of what he had to say. "Oh and Drew...what ever you do, don't fuck up." Sam let him off the hook that time. Drew scurried on away without another word.

Sam had to keep his hope that Drew would be able to pull it off. Sam went and sat outside on the bench near the entrance of the hospital.

Meanwhile with Brigitte, the doctor came to see her. "Ginger Fitzgerald right?" he asked.

"Yeah." she spoke dryly. Loathing the fact that she was in another hospital.

"It says here that you're in for injury." he said while looking down on the clipboard in his hands. "Might I have a look at your arm?" he requested. She held out her arm to let him see."My, that's an ugly gash. But we'll fix that up as soon as I get some more informa– "

"I have to go to the bathroom." she cut him off.

"Oh well, when you gotta go you gotta go right?" the doctor tried to get her in a cheery mood. Brigitte didn't say anything else, she just left.

Down in the bottom of the hospital, Drew made it there without becoming a suspect. That was the first step. Next, he located the hospital records room.

One of the doctors below was just coming out of the room. Drew had to think of something to say in order for her to keep the door open because he had no key or any other robbery paraphernalia. He began to shout, "Oh my gosh get that rat!"

The woman jerked at the sound of the words. The keys fell out of her hand. Drew began to panic as if he was looking for his make-believe rat. The door to the room was left ajar so he panicked in that direction. "You have to help me find that rat! He's been chewing on some of the bacteria from the lab and it might give everyone in this hospital a deadly and highly contagious virus if I don't catch it!"

The woman looked at the way drew was dressed. "You don't look like a doctor here."

Now was the time for Drew to flash the card. "Here's my medical card. I needed to use a lab as quick as possible so I came here with my regular clothes. I was approved to come down here and use this lab.

I went to do some research and a rat attacked my work! And it's a possibility that this rat might have been infected with my experiment! You guys should really clean this hospital! I might just call the health department on you guys!" he raged, trying to make himself sound serious and truthful as much as possible.

Drew was looking down at the floors, pretending to be searching frantically for the rat. He walked into the records room with the same act. The woman was just about to speak when Drew shushed her. "I think I hear it." he lied. He pointed his finger in the make-believe direction. "It's coming from over there."

He went deeper into the room. He looked behind to see the doctor. "I think I may need some help in finding this little rodent. Right now he's considered a danger to the patients in this hospital. If it gets into the cafeteria, it's all over." he lied again.

His scenario was so real and touching, the doctor had to believe him and she went to go get some help from others in the lab.

As soon as she left, he dropped the act and rummaged through the files as quick as he could. The best part about him being a thief is that he had slippery fingers so he could use them quite well. He managed to zoom through the files where the last names began with 'F'.

Ferland came up soon because of the 'E' which came earlier in the alphabet. He looked at the first name and it read 'Hanson'. He took it up quickly and placed it into his jacket. He came out of the room with the same facade he put on earlier.

The other doctors hadn't arrived yet. It was a good thing. He scurried out of there like the rapscallion he was. Ironically, the doctors showed up the instant he left. He got on the elevator as fast as possible. His heart was beating fast so he took deep breaths to regulate his nerves again.

When he reached the top floor, he remembered where he was supposed to meet with Sam. He met Sam and Brigitte on the outside together. "Alright I got them." he panted a bit.

"Good lets go." Brigitte requisitioned.

The quaint trio ran across the dark parking lot of the hospital and piled into their rightful places in the car. "Where are the files?" Brigitte asked. Drew went into his coat and handed them over to Brigitte so she could examine it.

"Alright, it's late. I say we go back to the RV and wait until morning. In the meantime, we could be doing some more research." Sam suggested while he started up the car.

Drew thought he earned the right to ask questions again after his successful dirty deed for them. "So are guys going out? You know, boyfriend and girlfriend or something?" Sam was the only one who looked back and gave him a menacing stare since Brigitte was too busy looking through the files.

"I get it, I get it! If I don't shut up you're going to kill me, or beat me up or hand me over to the cops." Drew tried to get it over with quickly.

"Actually, I was thinking about leaving you behind so the wolves can kill you for me." he gave a new threat.

Sam threw the car in drive and sped away from the hospital. Brigitte was looking at Hanson's medical records and noticed that he had been to the hospital from an apparent bear attack. He needed 18 stitches in his right forearm and 11 in his left shin; other miscellaneous scars were examined also.

It happened in 1970 when he was 25 years old and hasn't been back to the hospital since. That was the strange thing. It lead Brigitte into speculating that he might have been bitten. For a man who was nearly 60 years old, surely he had to come in for some kind of health fail. That hunch lingered in her mind all the way to their destination.

When they arrived back to the RV, Sam and Brigitte walked Drew inside to make sure he wouldn't go anywhere. "Aren't you guys done with holding me hostage? Not that I mind but dude, your hostility is really nerve-wrecking." Drew directed to Sam as he flopped on the bed.

Brigitte held Sam off from saying anything. "Don't worry about that now Sam, we have some more studying to do. Besides I have to go over something very important that I found in the file."

Sam looked at Drew with intensity, "You better consider yourself lucky." he and Brigitte both went to the back. Before he shut the door for privacy he said a few more things to Drew. "By the way if you touch something, I'll know. And if you try to run away with something, I'll find you."

When Sam shut the door, Drew began mocking what Sam said. "_I'll find you. Better consider yourself lucky. _Bastard."

Although he said it under his breath, Sam was able to hear him. He opened the door and threw one of his shoes at him. "Ouch! Can you at least treat me like I'm a human being?!"

"If I do, then I'll probably rip your guts out and eat them later. Besides, you're no longer all human anymore, remember? So deal with it." he slammed the door when he ended his conversation.

Sam went over and sat on the bed with Brigitte. The files from the hospital were sprawled over the bed along with the many books they checked out. "Right here. Look at this one." Brigitte pointed to the paper she wanted Sam to read.

Sam read the paper and read it from top to bottom. His first name: Hanson; Last name: Ferland; middle name: Allan; DOB: August 11th 1945 etc. "So what did you gain from this piece of information?" Sam asked.

"Look at the medical history on the next page." Brigitte instructed him. Sam looked where she told him to. "He was admitted in the hospital because of a bear attack. My instincts tells me that wasn't a bear that attacked him." She explained.

"What makes you say that? I mean, for sure?" He asked in the midst of a conundrum.

"Look at the list of his flu shots, tetanus shots, and going in for a broken arm. They all took place somewhere before the year 1970. For some reason, after the 'bear attack' he hasn't been back to the hospital ever since."

Sam was latching onto Brigitte's intuition. "You're right. You are definitely right."

"So how do we find out if he hasn't already turned?" Brigitte asked.

Sam furrowed his brows to show that he was in pensive mode. "Pass me that book." he pointed to the folklore that was written by Ferland. Brigitte handed him the book. He opened the book to the very first page that showed the publication date. "This was published in 1999. If your intuition is right, that means he would have been normal to have completed this right? If he was infected in 1970 he would have already transformed by then because this was made what...29 years later."

"Do you think that he'll have a cure?" Brigitte asked.

"Let's just hope so." Sam said trying not to sound dubious.

During the time they were talking, they subconsciously sat closer and closer together. Almost as if there was an electromagnetic field that was drawing them to each other.

"I also found a very similar likeness between these wolves and Gray Wolves." Brigitte stated. "They're monogamists too. They are very territorial and tend to lurk around alone until they find another wolf to mate with.

They're called mated pairs. Once they have a mate, they begin to form a pack. I was wondering why the wolves that were chasing us didn't have a pack or didn't even try to gather any other wolves to form one." Brigitte expressed her mind.

"Maybe there aren't any other wolves out there." Sam shared his thought. Brigitte looked at Sam deeply in the eyes when she spoke.

"If you look at it this way, if they wanted members of a pack, don't you think the female would be scouting me out to be a part of a pack instead of trying to kill me?" Brigitte sensed out to him.

"Humph. I guess I never really thought about it that way. So, they're trying to form a relationship and when they do, other wolves begin to accompany them and form a pack; is that what you're saying?" Sam wanted to make sure of himself. Brigitte nodded in response.

Suddenly the pair became induced in a moonstruck paresis and they stared into each others eyes; their retinas dilated. They seemed to be in some kind of trance. They were subconsciously compelled to each other as they rubbed their faces together as would animals. They took in the aroma of each other as their faces touched.

When they realized what they were doing, they snatched away from each other as fast as possible. "Sorry,...I ...didn't mean to..." Sam said sheepishly.

Before he could finish his apology, Brigitte cut in with her own sheepish words. "It's okay."

The moment was very awkward. So awkward that they froze where they were in silence before getting back on track. Sam grabbed the paper that held Ferland's personal information. "Okay, so he lives around here somewhere." he began again.

"I hope he still lives there because these papers are old and there's a slight chance that they haven't been updated." Brigitte explicated.

"There's only one way to find out. And we can't rest until we do." Sam said lying back next to Brigitte. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and went into a pensive state. He sighed before he spoke his next word. "Brigitte?" he called tiresomely. Brigitte, who was still sitting upright, turned to face him to see what he had to say. "We have a problem." he announced low at normal speaking speed.

"What's the problem?" She asked, wondering what new problem landed in their laps.

"I think I can find where they live because the county sounds familiar." he said in the same tone as before.

"How it that a problem?" She wondered still.

"The county sounds familiar because we passed it on the way here."

"You mean..." Brigitte hesitated. Sam finished her sentence.

"We have to go back toward east. Thinks that's bad, we have to be quick about everything before they catch up to us again. Who knows how long it'll take them this time."

Brigitte didn't like the sound of that at all. She blew a long, deep breath. "How long will it take to get there?" she asked.

"About 30 minutes. Maybe 20 if we take the car and leave the RV here." he reputed. Brigitte didn't like the sound of it, but they had no other choice. And she was not going to give up because her sister said so.

Brigitte was waiting on Sam to say something else. When she got no response, she turned to see that Sam fell asleep. She looked at the clock. It was no wonder why Sam drifted to sleep so quickly because it was really late.

After all that was done that day, she could understand why Sam was tired. She herself was tired also. She thought about leaving Sam to sleep. Then she remembered that Drew was in the other bed, probably sleeping too since she heard nothing but the quietness lingering around.

She laid down slowly, a few inches away from Sam. Her eyes closed and before she knew it, she was asleep, despite the books and files that littered across the bottom area of the bed.

Throughout the night it snowed lightly. The winds blew and the night was still. Somewhere about 400 miles from where they were, two restless wolves were crunching and making their way through the snow. Their hot breath looked like steam in the chilling air.

Where the male was, he had already picked up Brigitte's scent being accompanied by another male wolf. It gained a new motive on its way to find Brigitte. That thought was to eliminate the other male and take Brigitte as his prize.

The female was a bit ahead of the male. Jealousy thrived throughout her body. She could still taste the blood from Brigitte in her mouth from their last scuffle. How she wanted to taste more when Brigitte's spine snapped between her jaws.


	8. Something's Up With Sam

The next morning

Sam was the first of the three to awaken. He stretched out his arm then rubbed his eyes. On the side of him, he found something was warming him up. He looked down and saw Brigitte sleeping close to him.

She was curled like a kitten while she was sleeping. Sam couldn't help but to stroke her hair. The way she slept looked peaceful, which was an expression he never really saw on her. He began to wish she could look like that all the time.

Impulsively, Sam brought Brigitte closer to him. his heart began to beat really fast. When he laid her on his chest, he took in the aroma of her hair. He didn't know why, but he loved the way she smelled.

Maybe it was because animals liked to smell things. The whole concept of it all began to confuse him. He knew he liked Brigitte, but he was kind of hoping that their Lycanthropy wasn't a contributing factor to him being attracted to her or vice versa.

He wanted to be sure that he liked her wholeheartedly and not because she was another infected person. At that moment, he made up his mind to figure that out before enacting on any of his feelings for her.

In the instant his mind was made, Ginger appeared at the foot of the bed. Sam saw her appear and didn't say anything. Neither of them uttered a word, only looked at each other with scorn and disdain. Ginger didn't like the way he and her sister were together. She was beginning to think that Brigitte was smart, but naive which was advantageous for Sam.

After along time, Ginger finally broke the silence and spoke in disgust. "Perv."

"Bitch." Sam responded with serious eyes and no tone whatsoever. Ginger rolled her eyes and disappeared.

Brigitte woke up once her sister retired to the world beyond. She found herself on Sam's chest. Sam was still singeing over Ginger's insult to notice Brigitte coming awake. "You look angry, what happened?" She pondered when she saw the look on his face.

"Oh, nothing. Just really annoying thoughts." he replied. They were already facing enough annoying problems so she wasn't going to inquire which situation he was referring to.

She aroused from his chest and got up and went into the bathroom to shower. Sam got up and gathered the books from the bed and stacked them nicely before placing them on the side of the bed. He went straight to the living room area of the RV.

Drew was still fast asleep, snoring. Sam rolled his eyes and sat down in the booth area. He let his head rest in his hands. Thinking about going back the way they came reverberated in his head over and over again.

He wasn't too keen on going back, but if it was the only way they could find out how to save themselves from becoming a werewolf, they would have to take that risk.

From behind him, he heard Drew tossing and turning every now and then but he remained asleep. Sam knew Drew was probably a descent person if he could prove it. Albeit knowing that, Sam couldn't put his finger on why Drew made him so upset.

Every little thing he said and did got on his nerves. Even if the things he said were nice or just a simple insinuation. He shook the thoughts from his head, thinking it was no big deal. He reverted his thinking back to the wolves and how he and Brigitte would get through the destruction that was behind them. Literally.

In the bathroom while Brigitte was showering, she was having the same thoughts as Sam. If it took them going back to find out how to keep from becoming werewolves, then they were just going to have to do it.

Brigitte closed her eyes tight. So tight, she could see phosphenes dancing and floating about aimlessly. She was waiting on her sister to appear so she could ask her how far the wolves were away from her. She couldn't tell anymore because her wounds were healing rapidly because Sam was a male wolf also.

Ginger did as she wished and appeared. "I could feel you pulling on me so I came. Do you have anything to ask me?" Ginger asked upon showing up.

"I need to know how far away they are." She said stern.

"I see your theory on healing rate failed you. Just do what Sam does, I'm sure he can tell you." she said bitter, still angry that she saw Sam and Brigitte sleeping in the same bed.

"Leave Sam out of it Ginger." she said as calm as possible.

"Gee Brigitte, that's kind of impossible since you're in this together. Everything that involves you has everything to do with him. I can't tell you anything without you running back and telling Sam!" she said with malice toward him.

Brigitte couldn't comprehend why Ginger was so aggravated. Then again, Ginger was always upset about Sam so she figured it had something to do with him after all. "What happened between you and Sam?"

"It's not between me and Sam, Brigitte. It's between _you_ and Sam." she corrected her.

"Nothing happened between us." Brigitte made clear.

"That's what you think." Ginger hissed.

"What are you talking about? If you're talking about last night, it was an impulsive accident." Brigitte tried to give she and Sam some kind of reparation.

The only thing Ginger did was snicker. "Alright fine. The wolves are behind enough for you to go to where you need to go back there and be out of there; however the longer you take, the faster they're going to catch up to you." She informed her.

"There's one more thing I need to ask you Ginger." Brigitte said quickly before Ginger thought about leaving. "Is Hanson Ferland still alive?"

"I don't know B. That's something you're going to have to figure out on your own."

"You don't know or you're not going to tell me?" Brigitte wanted to make certain.

"Listen B, I'm bound to haunt whoever I cast the curse on which is you, McCardy and unfortunately that pig, Sam.

Aside from that, I can only tell if someone died if they died by the hands of another wolf. As far as people dying on the daily bases, I can't help you with that." she left as soon as she ended.

Brigitte gasped before opening the bathroom door. She had on a red, long-sleeve sweater with black stars on the bottom left corner that fitted to her figure. Her pants were different, but the color was still black. They were tucked inside of her snow boots which were also black with black and gray fur rimming the top.

Sam heard as she walked out of the bathroom. When he saw her, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He tried to get something out, but words weren't leaving his mouth. Brigitte Saw him staring. She looked from side to side to see if he was looking at anything else. "What?" she asked at last.

Sam blinked out of his daze. "Nothing. It's just..." he spent a moment trying to figure out what to say next. "You've changed a lot since four years ago." he said, his heart beating fast.

"Well you don't have to stare. I hate it when people do that." she scowled a bit, not knowing that Sam was staring was staring in the manner of lust and not in the way of thinking she was weird like everyone else.

She went ahead and sat in the front of the RV. Sam went into the bathroom next. He took deep breaths and washed his face. He couldn't believe he just stalled the way he did. He was only happy that he came up with a good enough excuse to explain his behavior.

He was thinking so hard about what he did and how to face her again. He had to shake himself out of it. He told himself that he wouldn't do that again. The way he thought of Brigitte was the same 15 year old girl. He liked her, but she was much too young and he was 22 at the time. He didn't know it,, but the reason for him thinking she was the same 15 year old girl because that's how old she was when he last saw her. Seeing her again caught him off guard so he didn't expect to see her all grown up.

He was haunted by the same thoughts as that morning. He wanted to make sure he liked her for her. He at least wanted to wait until she was 20 to make a move because he felt that he would still be taking advantage of a teenage girl.

With everything that was on his mind before, he was faced with a new challenge. "Fucking great! Just when I think I have everything under control shit still happens." he exasperated. He took a huge gulp of Listerine and swished it quickly in his mouth then spat it out. "I have to do something about this." he gave himself a new priority.

He opened the door to find a now awake Drew in front of the bathroom door. "Can I help you?" Sam asked, not ready to deal with him again.

"I just need to use the bathroom. Is that a problem?"

Sam stepped out and let him in the bathroom. He had too many things going on in his head to worry about Drew at the moment.

He saw Brigitte sitting in the front of the RV, possibly waiting for him to get back on the road again. He sighed before he went up there. The closer he got, the more his stomach tingled and the faster his heart began to beat.

"So, you're ready to go?" was all that he thought to ask.

"You don't look so good." Brigitte saw and heard how uneasy he was.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he assured her quickly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" She interrogated.

"It's just like I was saying to myself. Either we turn into wolves and forget everything and everything we've ever known, or we die trying to save ourselves."

"I was thinking the same thing. Ginger couldn't tell me if Hanson was still alive so we're going to have to figure that one out.

But she did tell me that the wolves were some distance behind us and if we hurry, we'll be able to get to where we need to go and be out of there before they can catch up to us."

"Well that makes me feel a whole better." He grimaced in spite when he heard Ginger's name.

"Is everything okay with you and Ginger? She didn't seem too happy about you this morning. Not that she does anyway but this time felt like she was angry at you. And now you seem angry at her."

Sam saw the seriousness in Brigitte's eyes. He saw no sense in hiding anything from her. "This morning she called me a pervert. So I called her a bitch. That's all."

Brigitte closed her eyes and whispered, "Oh my gosh." Ginger was being relentless as always. No matter how many times she had to tell her that Sam was not trying anything with her, Ginger continued to differ. He made it clear four years ago when he told her he didn't think of her that way.

"Let's just get moving." Sam said eagerly.

Drew walked out of the bathroom and met them in the front of the RV. "So. Where do we go next? I actually like traveling with you guys. Well, more so you Brigitte."

Sam didn't like the way that came out of his mouth. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sam said in an upsetting tone.

"C'mon. I can't be making you mad every step of the way. Surely you must have something on your mind and you're taking it out on me. Honestly, what the hell did I do to you?!"

Brigitte thought that was a good question. "I know the way we met wasn't really a good start, but he did help us." She told Sam

"You see!" Drew sided with Brigitte. "Even she knows that I'm not that bad. Why don't you get that? Huh?" he furrowed his brows.

"Can we just leave? We're wasting time." Sam evaded the question. He exited the Rambler and walked out toward the car. Brigitte and Drew followed.

"You didn't answer the question Sam." Brigitte reminded him when she caught up to him.

Everything about Sam showed that he was upset. Something was really eating at him. Even his gait gave away that he was upset.

Brigitte walked in front of him, cutting him off from his destination. " I said, You didn't answer the question. What the hell is bothering you?" she demanded this time.

Sam didn't look at her directly. Drew was standing on the side waiting for him to give an answer. "Nothing. Nothing is bothering me. Let's just get back there and be done with it." he scowled a bit.

"I'm not stupid Sam. I think you know that. Now tell me what's on your mind and we'll be off." she scowled as well.

"Are we really going to get into this? All because someone we barely know asked an irrelevant question?" he tried to refrain from answering the question because he didn't have one.

"Listen. I know that there's probably a million things on your mind right now because they're on mine too. But if you have some kind of problem with Drew, I need to know it now because if you can't get along, then we'll be getting in our own way."

Sam waited before he answered. "I don't know, okay. I just...don't–know."

Drew butted in after Sam answered the question. Sort of. "What do you mean you don't know?! I say one thing, you go off and you don't know why! That's unheard of!"

That obviously upset Sam because he snapped. "You know what, maybe I do know. Maybe it's because you won't shut the fuck up for two seconds. And whenever you open your mouth and say something, I wanna beat the shit out of you!

You give one more smart remark and I'm spilling your blood all over the ground and I'm going to hang your skin on the nearest light pole for everyone to see it!" he yelled while walking up on Drew, intimidating him.

Drew could hear him growl some sort of unnatural, inhuman growl and saw Sam's eyes go from brown to amber. The sight sent chills down his spine. He truthfully felt that Sam would kill him right there.

"Sam stop it!" Brigitte hollered. Sam stopped when she called his name. He eased off of Drew and went back walking toward the car in a quickened pace.

Brigitte watched Sam with perplexity and then turned her attention to Drew who was still shaken up. Drew looked at Brigitte, trembling a bit. "What did I do this time?"

Brigitte shook her head, "I don't know." she said inscrutably low. She went on ahead to the car. Drew followed behind cautiously.

When Brigitte got in the front seat, she looked over at Sam and saw that he was still vexed. She didn't say anything. She was going to wait until he calmed down a little.

Sam didn't start the car so soon. He was hovering over the steering wheel, inhaling and exhaling short breaths at a time. All in one motion, he opened the car door and got out again.

Brigitte and Drew saw him going back to the RV. They sat and waited for him in the car. "So how long have you two known each other?" Drew asked.

"We met four years ago." she said in an average tempo.

"Has he always been this way? You know, chop off everyone's head every chance he gets."

"Sam was like me before. We really didn't talk to anyone. We were some of the town's pariahs. Depending on what mood he was in, he'd let you know if he wanted to be bothered or not. It didn't always come off as friendly, But I've never seen him so agitated. Not like this. Normally there would be a reason."

"So what's my reason? I know I may have joked around with him a bit, but the guy can't take a joke. I can't say anything right so long as I'm around him. It's like he's a ticking time bomb that goes off every time I say something."

Brigitte didn't know how to respond to that. She just sat quietly and waited for Sam to get back in the car.

Once he was in, he buckled up and took off. Brigitte wanted so bad to say something. Sam wasn't being his usual self. He was a person who got easily annoyed, but not easily upset. She was beginning to suspect that his behavior was subsequent of his Lycanthropy.

The only other person she could think of that had an aggression level that high other than herself was her sister, Ginger. Everything began to get on her nerves and she did things out of the norm. Sam was showing a likeness in his own way.

Drew sat in that back, pondering to himself as well. He figured if he didn't say a word, then Sam would let off of him. He didn't know how he was going to keep himself quiet because he is a rambunctious and loquacious person naturally.

Sam was cogitating as well. He himself didn't know what was getting into him. He felt his Lycanthropy acting up. He had already taken a dosage not too long ago. It wasn't time for symptoms to show up. Yet they did.

Before he could tell anyone what was on his mind, he would have to find out for himself. He knew Drew wasn't so bad, but everything about him was getting on his nerves and he didn't know why. He was thinking so hard, he didn't realize that he was going above the speed limit.

"If we want to make it back east in time and in one peace, then you're going to have to slow down." Brigitte told him.

Sam snapped out of his thinking trance and slowed down to the recommended speed limit. He steered the wheel with his right hand and used his left hand to cuff the side of his head in an exhausted yet upset manner. Brigitte felt bad for him more than anything.

If only he hadn't risked his life for her when Ginger was alive, he wouldn't be going through what he was going through. "Sorry." she said to him apologetic.

Her apology took him by surprise. He wasn't expecting that. "What are you sorry for?" he asked sensitively.

"If I hadn't involved you with Ginger and me, you'd still be back in Bailey Downs living your life with none of these problems on your hands. I know how having Lycanthropy can be nerve-wrecking and I wouldn't wish it anyone. Maybe if you hadn't been with me that night..."

Sam cut her off, feeling guilty that he made her have to apologize for his erratic behavior. "You don't have to apologize Brigitte. I got involved because I chose to get involved. I could have easily turned you away, but I didn't.

I wanted to help and ended up getting infected in the process. None of it was your fault so don't go blaming yourself." he said calm, like himself again.

Brigitte was happy to hear that he had calmed down a great deal. Though she desired to know what was wrong with him, she wasn't going to upset him again by asking him the very question that seemed to get under his skin.

Drew wanted so bad to say how touching their moment was, but he knew Sam would probably pull the car over and jump back there and murder him. So he kept quiet. All he could do was grin a small grin.

As they drove toward the east, Brigitte asked Sam a question. "We need to have a back up plan. Let's just say if those things catch up to us before we reach Ferland. How are we going to deal with that?"

"The only thing I know is that we're going to make it there or die trying." Sam said with a bit more animated.

Drew couldn't help but to say something at the sound of death. "Die? You mean to tell me that we could die?!"

"When we mentioned werewolves, did you think they were going to fucking pass by and tip their hats off to us? Those things are dangerous and they will kill you and think nothing about it." Sam answered. A little less vexed this time.

"Look, don't get upset when I ask this. I really want to know why you're always mad at me. If it's about the whole slashing your leg thing, then I'm sorry. If its about the attempted robbery, then I'm sorry about that too. But for crying out loud, give me a break." Drew pleaded.

Sam looked like he was about to blow. He rubbed his forehead to keep himself calm. "Alright fine. I'll give you a break. But you need to shut up." he said as nice as possible.

"Everyone else here has the freedom to say what they want. Why can't I?" He complained.

"I said shut up." Sam reiterated. Drew folded his arm and looked out the window, mumbling to himself lowly. "I can still hear that." Sam warned.

Drew stopped mumbling and let his forehead head hit the cold glass. Then he thought, since he couldn't really talk to Sam, he'd talked to Brigitte. "So Brigitte, what do those things look like anyway?"

"You really don't want to know. That's why we're trying to get to where we have to go and be out of there before you can see them." she answered halfheartedly, still trying to figure out why Sam was so bothered with Drew. If he wasn't in the mood for talking, then why was he talking to her with placidity and not Drew. Sam appeared to be on edge. Drew seemed to be the detonator to offset him.

Sam looked over to Brigitte and saw that she was looking at him with wonder. "I'm alright Brigitte. You don't have to worry about me." He responded to her gaze as calm as he could possibly do. He knew she wasn't going to buy it so he had to pretend that he was alright. He put both of his hands on the steering wheel and relaxed his tense shoulders down.

"I'm hungry. Is there place to eat around here?" Drew asked.

Just the sound of his voice was enough to make Sam twitch uneasy. Brigitte saw it. She was getting tired of not knowing why Sam's behavior had been so unsettled so she planned to have a personal talk with him.

Sam went ahead and detoured from the road to find a place to eat. He wasn't hungry at the time, so he was going to let whoever go and do what they had to do.

By the time he came to a place, he parked the car and Drew got out immediately. "Are you coming?" he asked as he passed the driver's seat window. Sam shook his head no. "Okay, what about you Brigitte?" he said looking over Sam to her. She gave the same response.

"Okay so I'm going by myself. I going to need some cash though." he stuck his hand out to Sam. Sam went into his pocket and gave him a few dollars. Maybe more than what he needed. "Thanks dude." he took it and went in.

Sam looked over to Brigitte. "Why aren't you going?"

"I need to talk to you." she said as a matter of fact.

"Alright, fire away." he said, already knowing what the topic of the day was yet he still wanted to hear what she had to say.

"Something's not right with you. I know it and I know you know it." she lectured. "The way you're acting reminds me of how Ginger used to act when she first got infected. She wasn't herself anymore and she was easily upset.

When we ran into each other again, you were the same Sam. Now that Drew is with us, you're a whole different person now and I think it has something to do with your Lycanthropy."

"There's a lot of things going on with me Brigitte. I wish I could tell you if I knew but I can't because I don't know." Sam said in one breath.

"There has to be something. And if I have to help you find out what it is, I'm going to do that." Brigitte seethed.

"You don't have to worry about doing that. I thought it had something to do with my Lycanthropy too so I went and took another shot before we left. I feel a little better, but..."

"But Drew is still making you angry for no apparent reason, right?" she finished for him in a way he wouldn't have.

Sam blew a deep breath. "Yeah." he said humping his shoulders. "I guess that's why. No reason at all." he dragged the last sentence.

"That doesn't make sense." she said dull.

"Doesn't make sense to me either. Whatever the problem is, I'll find out what sooner or later."

"I just can't understand why the sound of his voice bothers you so much."

"Doesn't it bother you?" he tried to see if they had any mutual grounds.

"No. And I know he tried to pull a robbery stunt on us. But now that I'm getting to know him, I don't think he would have killed anyone." she summed.

"I know that. And it's not the robbery that's affecting me. Like I said, I don't know what is." he admitted again.

Brigitte sat all the way back in her chair and looked out of the window before speaking again. "Don't be angry with him Sam. He's already doing a lot by giving up what he had back there to join in on a life of constant movement; helping us get what we need and all. So don't make me rule you out as a temperamental fuck up." she admonished.

Sam whirled his head around to he quickly and looked at her with the expression of, 'did you really just say that?'. Brigitte got out of the car and walked outside to get some peace of mind. It was cool so it calmed her down some.

Sam sat there, thinking about what to do next. It was then Ginger's apparition showed up. "Unlike Brigitte, I'm not afraid to rule you out as a temperamental fuck up." she said humorless.

"Oh great. I really don't need this right now." he agonized.

"Oh I believe you do, because I know what's wrong with you. I'll only tell you if keep your hands off of my sister."

"It doesn't matter if you tell me or not, I'm _going_ to figure it out." he said normally, looking away from her apparition.

"Fine then. Why does the male wolf want to kill you?" she asked.

He looked at her with a poignant glare. "Is that a trick question?"

"Just answer the fucking question." she demanded.

"I already know why. I don't have to say it." he replied agitatedly.

"Maybe if you say it out loud it'll help you out. Not that I like helping you anyway. But if it means keeping my sister alive, then I will. By the way, if anything happens to her..."

"You're gonna what? From what I see you're in no position to threaten anyone." he cut her off.

Ginger knew he was right. It was painful to admit that to herself because it was true. "Just say it." She said hard.

"If it means you leaving me alone, he's going to target me because I'm another male wolf since I'm infected. Happy?"

"It's in human nature to like someone and know you have a chance with them. But it's in a wolf's nature to be jealous of another wolf. You have two nature's Sam. One of them's telling you that you have nothing to worry about." she clued him in.

For the first time, Sam took what she said into consideration. He thought, why in the world would he be jealous of the wolf that was chasing them. Ginger gave him one last clue. "There are more than two wolves in this picture." with that, she left.

Brigitte was just coming back to the car. She got in and warmed her bare hands. Sam took a good look at Brigitte. What was going through his mind at that time was:

_She has a male wolf following her. He's coming after me because he's jealous. It's in a wolf's nature to be jealous of another wolf. There are more than two wolves in this picture. That would be him, myself and...Drew?_

_Drew was infected too. That would make him a wolf. The third wolf. So how does that affect me? Yeah it would make the other wolf jealous of him too. But it would be in both of our nature to be jealous. _

_The only problem is, Drew hasn't been infected too long to really have these symptoms yet. So that leaves me. I have two natures. One that is wolf and the other that is human. Supposing that Ginger is right, am I jealous too? If so, then who. It can't be the wolf._

_Oh my gosh. Is she trying to say that I may be jealous of Drew because it's in my second nature to? Maybe that would explain why I think he's okay, but at the same time hate him. Maybe both of my natures are at play here. _

Brigitte saw him looking at her again. "Why do you keep staring at me? I told you it was annoying." she warned him again. Sam withdrew his eyes and looked forward out of the windshield. Brigitte saw that he didn't look so uptight. But rather low.

"What happened to you?" She asked. Letting him hear how confused she was.

"Does something look wrong?" he said in an innocent-like tone.

Brigitte felt for him. she wished she could just hold him and tell him everything was going to be alright.

Sam on the other hand wanted to tell her that he figured out what was wrong with him. But the fact that he would have to say that he was naturally jealous over her was shameful to him. He was already lowering his testosterone. That last things he had to hold onto as a man was his ego and his pride. Not to mention there was a possibility that Brigitte would rebuff his feelings. So he said nothing.

Brigitte wasn't going to press him into telling her what he was thinking. She just sat there and they both waited for Drew to come out of the restaurant.

During that time, Brigitte saw Sam's expression changed from low to discouraged. She couldn't help but feel discouraged along with him. Whatever was on his mind, she hoped he would tell her sometime soon. The only thing she could think of doing was to keep Drew on his good side.

She didn't exactly know how to do it since everything Drew did and said set him off. Brigitte got out of the car the moment she saw Drew's figure coming out of the building. She paced quickly over to him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. Seeing how urgent she was walking.

Brigitte gave him some advice. "Listen to me carefully. Something is seriously going on with Sam. I don't know what it is but he seems to be going through something. I don't really know how Lycanthropy works with men, but you're going to have to do your best to keep quiet.

I know you're probably not at all a bad person and Sam knows that too. But there's something different about him. Just take my advice and keep your distance okay. Because we need to make it back out of here with no difficulties." she explicated thoroughly.

"Okay. I'll do my best." he exasperated, wishing that Sam didn't have a problem with him to begin with.

He got in the back of the car and Brigitte got back in the front. Now Sam had the expression as if something was bothering him. He was about to start the car, but stopped. He shook his head a little and blinked rapidly, getting his mind right. He started the car afterward.


	9. A Bump In The Road

They continued their journey to find the Ferland's place. No one said nothing the whole while they were driving.

Brigitte wasn't thinking of nothing else other than Sam. All of a sudden, she felt something from him. something that wasn't quite human but wasn't quite animal either. Maybe somewhere in between. Whatever that something was, she was immediately attracted to it.

He heart began to race. She could feel herself perspire in the chest area. It was extremely hot beneath her sweater. Although multiple feelings were occurring throughout her body, she ignored them. She reminded herself that there were far more important things to be done.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but look at Sam. When she caught herself looking at him, she retracted her head back out of the window to watch the passing lines in the road go by like streaks. Her fingers trembled.

She knew why all of it was happening and that it had nothing to do with Lycanthropy. She had a bit of a crush on Sam before but now, it was stronger. She knew there could be some possibility where she could actually love him.

She chose to deny herself those feelings because there was a time for everything and now wasn't the time to enact on feelings. But she couldn't help but wonder if Sam liked her back even though he denied it four years back.

She sighed under her breath. She looked in the rear view mirror to see what Drew was doing. He was slumped over asleep. She turned her gaze back to the road. It was too quiet in the car so she let the window down.

She let the cold wind blow on her face to remove some of the tension that was lingering about the inside of the car.

Sam looked at Brigitte while her head was turned. How he wished he could tell her what was on his mind. How he felt about her, and him being irrational had everything to do with her. He couldn't blatantly say that he wasn't jealous of Drew but his wolf side was. That would make things awkward between them. He quieted the thoughts in his mind and focused on one thing. Discover a cure and go back to normal.

After a long time of sitting in the quietness of the car, Sam spoke life into their environment. "What's the address on that file?" he asked Brigitte.

She lifted from the window abruptly. She rolled the window up so when she got the file, the loose papers wouldn't fly out. She picked the files up from the floor and went through them. Once she obtained the file with the Address, she read it out loud. "098 Banes St."

"Okay, we're here in Gray Groves. All I have to do now is put the address in the GPS and we're there." he said with some enthusiasm.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked dubiously.

"If you put it that way?" he responded.

"I'm only asking for your own good." she told him, knowing he was being a little sarcastic.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he assured her more plain.

Brigitte took his word for it and left it alone. Sam got off of the expressway and onto the highway. Butterflies were in his stomach because they were on a perilous path. The wolves were on their way there and he wasn't ready to see their ugly faces.

Brigitte had the same thoughts. "Alright when we find the place, let's find out what we need to know and leave." Brigitte quickly.

"That's the same thing I was thinking." Sam responded.

That was the good thing about Sam and Brigitte's relationship with each other. They were always on the same page.

"How are we supposed to explain what we're doing there? We just can't show up and expect something out of them. How would we even know they're the type of people you don't want to trifle with?" Brigitte questioned. At the same time, tried to think everything through.

"We'll just have to let whatever happens happen. Right now, we're playing it by ear. As soon as we know what we're getting ourselves into, we can get back to prognosticating our next moves." Sam settled. "That's if you know what the word prognosticate means."

"Remind me to prognosticate when you'll see daylight again." she used it in a sentence to let him know she knew very well what it meant.

"Of course. You're not the average girl." Sam reminded himself out loud.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked him. Unaware that he was actually flirting with her.

"Nothing." he said in simplicity as he put the Address in the GPS and waited for the digital map to display directions. "Alright. We have the map, it's still daylight and hopefully everything turns out fine at this point." Sam announced.

Drew was just awakening in the back seat of the car. "Are we there yet?" he asked while stretching.

"Almost. Just stay put for as long as you can." Sam answered. Getting his social skills back on track. Brigitte was proud of him for handling that better.

Drew was shocked that Sam didn't grill him for asking a simple question. "So am I free to talk now?" he asked. Sam didn't answer him. He kept driving, trying to his utmost ability not to get annoyed again.

Brigitte could feel a small amount of tension returning to Sam. It wasn't as bad as the first few times, but it still existed. She wasn't going to give up him though. She had the utmost confidence that he would get through whatever phase he was dealing with.

Sam went wherever the GPS told him to go. Finally, the road that showed on the map was a very long and narrow road running deep through the woods. So narrow that the pathway fit to the width of the car, leaving no room for them to go anywhere else other than in a straight line. "Do we have to go through there?" Drew asked nervously upon approaching the beginning of the woods.

"Why? Are you scared?" Sam asked emotionless.

"Well, yeah. There's no shame in that. And I'm not afraid to admit that–I–am scared of this road. It doesn't even have any pavement. And an unpaved road means that no one ever goes through there because it probably dangerous." he explicated in a voice of complaint.

"Too bad. Because we're going in there. We might just stay until it's really dark out. That's when the monsters come out." Sam intentionally crept him out.

For some reason, Sam and Brigitte weren't at all timid of the forest. It actually felt home-like to them. Sam drove on through without hesitation.

Drew was so nervous he began imagining things that lived there and were unfriendly to humans. He gripped onto the seat belt as if he were clinging onto his life. He peered back and forth from the right window and from the left.

"Aren't you guys scared at all? Does this creep you out even a little?" he asked cravenly.

Brigitte answered 'no' while Sam ignored him again.

Drew felt like a mall child afraid of the dark while his parents told him there were no such things as monsters. In this case, Sam and Brigitte did inform him that there were monsters out there and that he was going to turn into one of them so he couldn't convince himself that there were no such thing as monsters.

His childish demeanor lead him into asking Sam a question. "Hey Sam, How old are you?" he asked casually.

"Why do you want to know my age?" he furled his brows. Not out of anger or annoyance. Simply because he didn't know why Drew asked so suddenly.

"I just want to know. That is if it's not a crime." he replied. He hoped that Sam would be much older to justify him acting like a child.

Brigitte tapped Sam on the shoulder to let him know that it was alright to tell Drew his age. "I'm 26." he replied with no hassle.

"Oh really?" he said with no sense of humor. "You're only two years older than I am. I'm 24." he said dim. He felt since they were so close in age, he should be more like Sam. More mature.

"Do you have to keep talking?" Sam warned him that he was beginning to get bothered.

"Just trying to make friendly conversation." he pouted. He thought about what he said and how he said it and figured it didn't come off as being mature at all.

"Sounds to me like you're trying to take your mind off of being scared of this forest." Sam replied hypothetically.

"More or less." was all he said, trying to make himself sound less pupal.

Brigitte then joined in the conversation. "Has anyone ever told you that you're immature? Because you don't act like the average 24 year old." she said in her usual tone.

"A lot of people. That's why I lost my job. And my girlfriend kicked me out for that. I try not to be immature, but it's who I am. I tried to change it time and time again, but I just won't get any older.

I guess that's also a common factor as to why I'm not good with armed robbery. I can only break in and break out without anyone seeing me. I don't like to rob people by way of weapon, but it was the only other option available in order to take care of myself until I found another job.

And I guess I should apologize again for the attack before. You guys are really cool. A little different...well, a lot different, but you're alright. I actually like you guys." he mouthed off.

"I'd hate to know what you sound like if you were drunk." Sam referred to the fact that Drew talked about any and everything.

"You know what Sam, I can't really blame you for treating me the way that you do." he began melancholic. "Everyone treats me the same. Like I'm a nobody. Like I can't do anything right. I guess I was helping you guys out because I'm looking for some kind of self-redemption.

I've tried so long to fit in with someone. To be a part of a social group. I guess I'm what Brigitte said earlier, the town's pariah." he smiled a pitiful smile.

Brigitte intervened on his miserable speech. "There's nothing wrong with being yourself. Once you know what's becoming of you, you're going to do everything in your might to stay who you are.

Sam and I used to be able to do the everyday routine like normal people. But we can't do that anymore. We have to go day in and day out just to find a way to remain who we are. All I can say to you is be happy that you're still you and nothing else.

I lost my sister because she changed. Mentally and physically. So be careful what you wish for. You just might regret it at the end of the day."

Those two conversations made Sam soften up a bit. He began to realize that he was being little harsh on him. So he made it up in his mind, wolf nature or no wolf nature, Drew was in the same boat as he and Brigitte. It was only right for him to lend a hand.

"What say you Sam?" Drew asked, feeling better after Brigitte's speech.

"I agree with Brigitte. She's right you know." he said like his cool, calm normal self.

Drew smiled brightly again. "Okay, I just have to ask this question again!" he burst with a new-found enthusiasm. "Are you guys going out with each other or something?! Seriously, because you act like a couple. The thing is, I've never seen you _do_ what couples do. That's the only thing that gets me. I know you can't be related because in so many words, you told me already. And you seem like you're more than just friends to me. I'm just speculating." he said all at once.

Sam and Brigitte blushed hard. They exchanged looks in shock before answering in unison. "No." they denied.

"So do you love each other? Maybe a little?" he asked curiously.

Brigitte turned to look out of the window and Sam looked at the GPS. "Hold onto that question, we're here." he evaded it. All the talk about relationships made Sam and Brigitte's heart beat fast and heated their bodies.

They couldn't even look at each other straight after that conversation. Brigitte's face was completely red. Her crush on Sam got even stronger than the last few minutes. Maybe she felt that way since the thoughts in her head was vacant at the time. She thought, 'how am I going to deal with this in the midst of everything that's going on?'

Sam parked the car a little ways down from their destination. Lying yonder ahead of where they stopped, was a cozy, light-blue colonial style house with a white porch wrapping around the first level of the house. There were a few bushes outlining the porch and it was surrounded by nothing but trees.

The infected trio got out of the car and began to trek toward the house. On their way, the picked up the scent of other werewolves. "Do you smell that?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"Yeah. What does that mean?" he asked low and inscrutable.

"I don't know." she said in a whisper.

Drew couldn't understand what they were talking about. "I don't smell anything. What are you guys talking about?"

"We smell other wolves around here. But I don't hear or sense any around. At least not now." Sam answered.

Sam's answer sent chills down Drew's spine. His blood ran colder than the cold air that surrounded them. "I hope you're joking." he had wishful thinking.

"When are you going to learn that everything isn't a fucking joke?" Sam asked stern.

"Okay so you're not joking. So how can you tell if wolves are around here?" he trembled from the cold; mainly because of the fear he was feeling.

Brigitte blew soft wind through her closed teeth, shushing him. So now the only other sound they could hear was each others breathing and the crunching of the snow.

The sounds of sticks breaking and icicles falling made Drew uneasy. All of the wood's onomatopoeia was spooking him out. "I wanna go home." he whispered to himself.

Sam, Brigitte, and Drew made it to the property. Upon reaching the top of the stairs of the porch, they found a note on the front door. Sam grabbed it and read silently. The note read:

_Gone hunting. Will be back before the big blizzard. Have a nice day. Hanson and Gloria Ferland._

"Shit!" Sam shouted. He took in a deep breath and blew hard before continuing. "Well there's good news and some really bad news." he stated.

"What's the good news?" Brigitte asked.

"The good news is that this is the Ferland's place and they still live here. Since they were able to write this, I'd say they're still themselves. The bad news is that they're not in right now and there's supposed to be some kind of blizzard heading this way." he explained.

"When?" Brigitte asked with worry.

"I don't know. But we need to go somewhere and find some shelter. Going back to the RV will kill our time trying to make it all the way back here through the aftermath of the storm." he explained. "We need to find some pace close. Like a motel or something." he finished.

They walked back out toward the car when snow began falling again. As they were walking, Brigitte stopped in the middle of the road. "What's the matter?" Sam inquired.

He saw Brigitte looking in the snow that was on the side of the road. He looked to where she was looking. What they saw was a huge footprint like those of the wolves that are after them. It wasn't a fresh print and it wasn't old either.

"These look like they're leaving from the house." Brigitte noticed.

"Yeah, you're right." Sam said a little higher than a whisper.

Drew came and investigated as well. "What kind of footprint is that?" he asked. Brigitte and Sam looked a him seriously. "So did...the things you were telling me about made these tracks?" he wanted them to confirm his suspicion.

Sam and Brigitte looked at each other. Brigitte looked into Sam's eyes and saw that they weren't normal anymore. "Sam?"

"What?" he pondered as to why she was looking at him in such an alerting fashion.

"You did say you took some more of that solution, right?"

"Why? What's going on?" he asked.

"Your eyes...they're–they're showing yellow specks."

Sam tried not to panic. He had already taken the solution before they left so why wasn't it working? He knew it couldn't have lost it's affect just of yet. If it wasn't working, then why wasn't his body rejecting it or having some other kind of reaction to it. "Another day another damn mystery." he argued to himself.

He went ahead and kept walking, taking in accountability that his eyes were yellow. Brigitte followed him with concern. She thought the same thing Sam thought. Wasn't his Lycanthropy stabilized when he took his dose?

When Sam got into the car, a thought ran through his mind. Maybe the stuff was working. Maybe since his attitude with Drew was spiking his transformation, his testosterone levels probably got high. Besides, that night was a full moon. Maybe that could be a contributing factor.

Sam started the car. When he put it in reverse, he had to watch carefully how he handled the car since each side of the road was littered with trees. Once he made it through that obstacle, he turned the car around and left the property of the Ferland's. "We'll come back once we find out when the blizzard is going to happen and how long it's going to last." Sam addressed.

"Well if you guys come back here, can you leave me where I am?" Drew asked.

Brigitte answered his question with a question. "Whatever happened to you enjoying our company?"

"I like going with you guys, but not to creepy places like this. It makes my skin crawl." he said giving up on maturity and spoke honesty.

"If you don't come back here with us then you're skin isn't only going to crawl." she said spooky-like.

Drew had to take it all in with one breath. He knew he didn't want to be caught in the middle of Sam and Brigitte's life of horror, but he was curious to know what the werewolves looked like. Not up close, that would be absurd. He just wanted to know for sure that there really were things out there to give him a little bit more belief than the leeches, the rapid healing; yellow eyes and hearing Sam growl at him scornfully.


	10. Gaggling Geese

Sam made it into the next vicinity that was miles away from the town his RV was. He drove around until he found a motel close enough to their intended destination. It wasn't as run down as the stereotypical motel. It looked rather descent enough.

"So how do we do this?" he asked before getting out of the car. "Do I get three separate rooms, one room for us to share, or guys bunk in one?" he asked.

"I think you should get two rooms." Brigitte suggested. "You and Drew share one and I'll be in the next room." she got out of the car and walked into the service part of the motel on her side of the car.

Sam and Drew exchanged a look of displeasure to each other. "When we get the room, zip it. Brigitte was the only thing that was keeping me from killing you today and yesterday. I have a new opinion about right now you so don't ruin it." Sam warned before getting out of the car.

"Okay I'll do my best your majesty." he said as soon as Sam was out of sight. He got out of the car and waited for Sam and Brigitte to purchase the rooms.

On the inside of the building, a middle-aged woman was serving Sam and Brigitte. She was heavyset with shoulder-length dark-brown hair. Her skin was pale and she had small and barely noticeable crow's feet on the side of her eyes; she wore a button down red plaid shirt with bluejeans and smoked a cigarette while chewing gum.

"Hi, my name's Heather. How May I help you?" she asked with a scratchy voice.

"We need two rooms." Brigitte said rapidly.

"For the two of you? You don't look like you can take up much space in one room. Let alone a single spot." she took a puff of her cigarette and carelessly blew it into the air. "What kind of room do you want? Achoo!" she sneezed immediately after she finished her inquisition.

Sam and Brigitte tried to ignore the fact that she wiped her snot with her index finger and wiped it on the side of her shirt. Sam spoke up, "We need one room with a single bed and a room with two beds."

"One room with a single bed and a room with two beds? Are you together? Because you said 'we' as is the both of you." she asked, referring to their tab.

"Yes." Brigitte answered, beginning to get annoyed of the woman's prying.

"Honey, you'd be better off getting one room with one bed. You both look like you need to get laid." she insinuated.

Sam and Brigitte didn't like the impression she was giving off. She chewed her gum loudly when she wasn't talking and talked loudly when she wasn't chewing. "If you don't mind we really need to pay for these rooms and be on with our day." Sam began to get impatient.

It was a good thing she wasn't looking at Sam and Brigitte too hard otherwise she would have seen the yellow that was showing up in his eyes. To Sam and Brigitte's dismay, she kept fiddling around with subject after subject.

"Alright, alright. So how many nights are you all staying?" she asked finally.

"Two. Today and tomorrow morning." Brigitte asked quickly.

Sam looked at her. "Why two?" he asked.

"Just in case." she replied. That lead her into asking Heather a question. Before she could ask, another woman, who was much younger than Heather, walked into the room. She proceeded with her inquisition. "By the way, we heard something about a blizzard heading this way. When does it begin?"

It was then the other woman of long brown hair, a soft face and thin figure; slightly thicker than Brigitte's, answered the question. "I saw it on the news cast. It's probably going to happen around the evening and get stronger tonight."

After she got done talking, she unequivocally took the cigarette from Heather and took a puff herself. Heather didn't mind though.

The young woman took a look at Sam and gained a quick interest in him. Heather picked them out two rooms. "Okay, if you just sign your initials and print your names everything will be set." she said pulling two sets of keys off of the wall on the right side of her.

"Are you two here separately?" the young woman asked. Specifically Sam.

"No. We're just in two different rooms." he said in a hurry. Wanting so badly to get out of there. Watching them smoke made him want to smoke. He had to quit because smoking raised testosterone levels to some degree; furthermore it intoxicated the oxygen in the blood stream and helped Lycanthropy to progress.

"So, you two aren't a couple or anything?" She asked Sam again.

Sam was beginning to think that was the year for everyone to get on his nerves. He didn't want to discuss his private life with them. Even if he was going out with Brigitte, though he would really like to, it was none of their business.

Sam chose to ignore the question. He signed his name where he needed to sign it and gave the pen to Brigitte. Heather handed over the keys and took the clipboard from them. "So, Sam McDonald and _Brigitte_ Fitzgerald." she read out loud.

Sam and Brigitte really wanted to give that woman a piece of their minds for her impudence and nonprofessional demeanor. If they did, they would have to find somewhere else to stay and they refused to go any farther than that.

The time Heather mentioned their names, the younger woman gasped then spoke loudly, "Oh my gosh, my name is Bridget too! But my name is spelled B-R-I-D-G-E-T."

That didn't make Brigitte any happier. "Well that's good to know." she said sarcastically. She got her key and headed for the door as quick as possible. Sam followed in the same pace.

They met Drew waiting by the car. "What took so long?" he asked through his chattering teeth.

Brigitte answered his question as she brushed pass him to get to her room. "Chatterboxes."

Sam stood next to Drew, watching Brigitte go to her room. "Why don't you make a move already?" Drew inquired. Sam turned to face him with quizzical brows."I know you like her. It's not hard to see you know." he smirked.

Sam dropped his eyebrows and his eyes. "Who asked you? When we get in our room I don't want to hear another word about it." he sauntered off. Drew fawned close behind with a subdued giggle.

Back in the office when Brigitte and Sam left out of the door, Heather began to speak again. "You know those two reminds me of someone. I can't put my finger on it right now but they remind me of someone."

"I don't know about you, but that guy, _Sam, _reminds me of someone to." she swayed like a lovesick puppy.

"You mean your ex-boyfriend before you dumped him for another guy you thought was going to be successful in the film business?"

"You are so nosy Heather! And maybe you're right. I don't know. Maybe I just have a thing for guys that look like that." she flirted.

"Did you not see the other girl that was with him?" Heather asked.

"Yes, so! You heard them. They're in two separate rooms. Meaning they are **not** together and he's single. And I don't have to worry about her. _Brigitte_. She's nowhere near a threat to me." she boasted. "She looks so dreadful. And to think that a guy like him could find interest in her. Don't make me laugh Heather. I see things all the time and I've never seen a relationship like that."

"I take it that you're about to make your move." Heather knew Bridget too well.

"So what if I do? Is that a crime? Still, I forgot to ask them if they wanted any condiments." she swayed her words as well as her hips in a coquette-like manner. She made her way from around the counter and through the door.

Heather shook her head at Bridget. "That girl just doesn't know when to quit. One day someone's gonna bite her in the ass. She'll stop." she said to herself, taking one last puff of her cigarette and putting it out in the ashtray.

Bridget came back in and ran to the front desk. "Which room was he in again?" she asked clumsily. Heather pointed to the room on the clipboard. "Thanks." she gratified her before running off again.

She arrived at door 14; Sam's door. And knocked loud enough so she could be heard. Drew was the one who answered it. He smiled a bright smile upon seeing her. "Well hello there gorgeous." he scanned her up and down lustfully.

"Ew. I wasn't looking for you." she snubbed.

"Then who are you looking for? Whoever you're looking for he must have left already because this room was empty when we got here." he chattered on.

"We?" she spotted the plural word.

"Yeah. Me and a friend. Well actually he's not really my friend. He's more of an acquaintance. He hates it when I talk so..."

"Frankly, I hate it when you talk too. Now I'm looking for someone named Sam McDonald. Is he here?" she asked, cutting him off earlier.

"Why? Did he do something wrong? Are the cops after us?" he panicked a bit.

"He didn't do anything. And why would the cops be after you?" she asked with perplexity.

"No reason. It's just that we're just getting here and a stranger is looking for us for no apparent reason."

"First of all, I'm not looking for _you_ **and** him. I'm just looking for _him. _Now tell me if he's in here or not or you're getting booted out." she threatened.

"I know I may be immature at times. But lady you are acting like a snot nosed brat!" he argued back. "And yeah, he's here. I hope he grills into you the same way he does me! Only worst!" he got fed up with her attitude. She didn't care how he felt. She was there for one reason and he wasn't going to be an obstacle in her way.

"Hey Sam! You got a visitor!" he yelled, still sizzling over his talk with Bridget.

Sam was in the restroom looking into his eyes. They were turning more yellow. His canine teeth even grew a little. He was distracted from his self-check when Drew called out to him. He turned off the bathroom light and went to see what Drew was talking about.

"What is it Drew?" he asked annoyed.

"You have a snobby bitch at the door waiting for you." he said flopping on the bed nearest the window.

Sam went to the door and saw Bridget. "Hi." she said as sweet as she could be. Completely unfazed by the argument she was involved in a few moments ago.

"Is something wrong?" Sam exasperated.

"Nothing's wrong. I just forgot to ask if you wanted any condiments." she smile brightly. Sam raised a brow and expressed no amusement at her being there.

Drew butted in upon hearing the question. "Do you have any peppermints? Or maybe I'll have a cup of water so I can throw it on you and watch you melt away while you're screaming 'what a world, what a world." he dissed.

Bridget rolled her eyes and ignored him and kept her focus on Sam. "So do you need any?" she coquetted a little.

"No." Sam said simply and closed the door before she could ask him anything else.

Bridget didn't seem to get the message. She knocked on the door again. "Can you make yourself useful and get that." Sam ordered Drew before regressing to the bathroom. Drew reluctantly got off the bed and went to the door.

"Are you knocking to apologize?" Drew interrogated.

"Yeah. To apologize to the woman who gave birth to you." she dissed him back.

Drew was taken aback. "How dare you! You really hurt my feelings!" he spoke with a whiny pitch in his voice.

"I'm going to do more than hurt your feelings now move out of my way." she shoved him aside.

"What do you want with Sam anyway? He said he didn't want any stupid condiments." he fussed.

"He rejected the motel's condiments. So I'm here to offer my own condiments. So back off!"

"I don't mean to pry Mrs. I-don't-care-who-I-fuck, but Sam already has a love interest. And it's not you." he told her off.

"And who might that be?" She asked snidely.

"I know you must have seen his friend Brigitte. A girl with long black hair and full lips. He won't admit it, but he loves her. I know he loves her."

"Okay Mr. smarty pants, has he ever told you that he loves her?" she threw her hands on her hips and waited for an answer.

"No. But it doesn't mean that he doesn't. You can see it in his eyes. I've only been with them for two days but I know they like each other. Hell, they love each other but they won't say." he spoke quickly.

"That's not much of an answer. Do me a favor and stay in your own world. I have business to take care of."

At that moment, Sam walked out of the bathroom. "What's with all the fuss?"

"It's not my fault Sam. She just forced herself in here." Drew tattled.

Bridget looked at him with disgust. "Zip it tight-wad."

Sam didn't have time to listen to Drew and Bridget argue. "If you guys don't mind, I have something very important to do and somewhere very important to go. So can you do me the honor and wait until I'm gone to release your conscience on each other." he said on his way out the door.

"I think I have an idea of where he's going." Drew looked at Bridget.

"So, where do you think he's going?" She folded her arms.

"To Brigitte, duh. Maybe he's going to take my advice and make his move." he smiled.

Bridget left Drew where he was and walked out of the door. She looked around and saw Sam in front of the door Brigitte was staying.

Though she had only met Sam, she felt that instant attraction surge though her and she wanted to appease that crave for him. She knew she couldn't get what she wanted if he didn't pay her any mind. Then she began to rethink herself. 'Who was his type?'

She tried not to beat herself up over it because she had only met him that day. But the reason for her slight tantrum was because she was used to being the apple of every man's eye when they laid sight upon her. Sam was one of the first that didn't pay her any mind.

"If they so-call like each other, then how come they have separate rooms? I can't understand that." she thought out loud. She shook some sense back into her head. "Just stay focus. People can have a change of heart sometimes." She assured herself.

She didn't notice Drew had come out behind her. "So was I right? Or was I right?" he asked full of pride. She only scoffed at him. He laughed at her being wrong and her rejection from Sam. "Don't say I didn't tell you so." he gloated.

"You are so immature!" she shouted before stomping off. Her attitude made him smile brighter. He went back inside and Bridget went back to the office.

Brigitte heard Sam knocking and opened the door to let him into her room. "Do you need to talk to me?" she asked as he walked deeper into the room.

"Yeah." he breathed out. Brigitte listened to what he had to say. "There's something wrong with me. I know you knew that there was, but there's more to it than you think." he started off.

"More to it? Like what?" she caught a glimpse of Sam's eyes before he could speak. She walked swiftly up to him and pulled his face close to hers and stared deeply into his pure yellow eyes. "Are you sure that stuff you made was supposed to last a long time?" she asked with concern.

"I'm sure. As a matter of fact, I'm more than sure. It's just that there are other things at work that revolves around my way of being and apparent new nature." he spoke plainly.

"New nature? You mean like a wolf's nature?" she asked to be sure.

Sam nodded. Then he found himself in a predicament. He didn't know how to tell her that he was partly jealous of Drew. Especially because of her. His heart was racing quickly. He didn't know what he was thinking coming to her when he wasn't ready to reveal his feelings for her.

Suddenly, that same magnetic atmosphere happened about them again. They found themselves drawn to each other. They brought their faces closer together. Their noses touched one another and they inhaled the aroma from each other.

Unbeknownst to them, they were inhaling each others pheromones. The bridge of their noses touched and they put their arms around each other slowly. Nothing but lustful thoughts filled their minds. In the next instance, their lips connected.

The kiss was soft at first, then it deepened. They stayed that way for a few seconds before realizing what was going on. Once more, they snatched away from each other. They were mortified at their action.

The ineffability of the situation set and uncomfortable silence in motion. They struggled to get out their next words. The only other thing they could do was kiss each other again. This time, they were fully aware of what they were doing. Albeit at the same time, thought the other had no idea what was going on.

"Why did I just do that?" Sam asked softly, already knowing why he did it. His reason for asking was to save face.

"I was wondering the same thing." Brigitte replied for the same reason. To save face. Nevertheless, they had mutual feelings for each other. The only problem was that neither of them had ever been in a committed relationship and didn't know how to start one.

They were still in hugging each other when Brigitte asked again. "What were you going to tell me?" she asked with a relaxed face.

Sam didn't know how to answer that. Should he blatantly say that he was feeling jealous and his jealousy allowed his testosterone level to go sky high? How could he redeem himself of being envious? He had never really had envy for anyone in his life.

A girl like Brigitte was hard to find where they came from. When he finally found her, he wanted to have everything to do with her. Then her sister had to go and blurt her age. He felt terrible afterward. Even now, he was wrestling himself in the mind, reminding himself that she was no longer the high school girl he met in Bailey Downs.

Brigitte was still waiting on answer. He wouldn't speak. He refused to. She lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes again. Sam looked back at her. She looked even prettier when she didn't have on her hardcore mask.

He was seconds away from telling her how pretty she was that way. Since he wasn't the romantic type, he didn't know how to word it.

Brigitte broke the silence. "Are you thinking about something? Maybe about the Ferland's" she tried to piece together the solemn expression he was carrying.

"No. I was just...thinking about miscellaneous things." was all he could get out.

"You were telling me something. I want to hear it."

Sam began to speak words without thinking about them. "My testosterone levels are high, I think it may be because there's a full moon tonight." he averted from the absolute truth. Whenever it came to Brigitte and his feelings, he often lied. His first lie was when they were in his greenhouse and he told her he didn't think of her in a lascivious manner.

"A full moon?" Brigitte seemed shocked.

"Yeah, is something wrong?" Sam wanted to know what had gotten into her.

"The full moon gives the transformation strength right? Or better yet, wolves period." she asked breaking the hold she and Sam were intertwined in. Temporarily forgetting what had transpired a few seconds ago.

"What's your point?" he asked calmly.

"There's a blizzard coming. I thought it might slow the wolves down with them being aggressive and all. I didn't give any thought about the moon. I hope I'm wrong when I say this but, I think that there's some chance that they just might make their way through the storm." she panted bit.

"Damn it I didn't think about that either." he said quickly. He put his hand up to his chin.

"I don't know how far away the male is. I can't tell anymore. The scars have been heeling faster anyway because you and Drew are close to me. The same thing with you." she explained.

"Okay, so now we're stuck." Sam said frustrated. "We only have so much time. I hope we can do this without running out of it." he paced around the room.

"We can't go to the Ferland's and wait out the storm. We'll get caught in it and trap ourselves. That won't do any good if they do catch up to us." Brigitte said strategically.

"Yeah, I know. The only hopes we have is to wait for the storm to pass. Depending on how bad the storm is, we can estimate how much time we would have left." Sam added.

Outside, the winds got stronger and the snow began to fall. The wind beat upon the window and whistled loudly. The first part of the storm had begun.

"I hope." Brigitte said after hearing the strong winds.

"I have to get back to Drew to make sure he didn't do anything stupid yet." Sam said narcissistic. He pulled his jacket around himself tightly and stepped outside.

Brigitte locked the door once he left and sighed. For the first time in a very long time, she didn't sigh out of anger, sadness or frustration. It was a sigh of love and hope for Sam. The kissed was proof enough that he liked her back.

All she wanted now was to hear him confess before she jumped to conclusions. She had taken into accountability that Sam's Lycanthropy might have something to do with his attraction for her. She began to hope it was him and not the Lycanthropy.

Sam made it back to his room and found Drew watching television with his shoes and jacket thrown about the place. "Hey Sam. Did you take my advice and make a move?" Drew asked.

Sam blushed. "I do recall telling you not to bring that up again." he changed the subject.

"You've been avoiding this question the whole time here. Every time I ask you do you like Brigitte, you have never answered no. That means something Sam."

"I swear if you say something else, I'm gonna kill you. And it's not a joke. " he said dead serious.

"And I thought we were going to get along well this time." he said under his breath. "By the way Sam, who was the chick that came to the door earlier?"

"Don't know and don't care." he said nonchalant.

"You say you don't know but she seemed to be stuck on you for some reason. This is the first time you saw her right? You know, like in your life?" he asked multiple times.

"I said, I don't know and I don't give a shit. That should answer all of your questions so don't ask anymore." he said beginning to fume with him again.

Sam went into the bathroom. He shook his head to regain control over his behavior. He felt himself lashing out again for no reason. He ran his tongue across his teeth and found that his canine teeth grew some more. To add more to his anxiety, his nails were growing.

Ginger appeared in the bathroom with him. "I thought I told you to keep your grimy little fingers off of my sister." She started out rude.

"Do you believe in privacy?" he asked dull.

"Do you believe in leaving people's sisters alone?" she shot back.

Sam turned around to face her. "What do you want from me, huh? I spent four years of my life hunting for a cure and I can help your sister help herself. Tell me, who else within a thousand miles would give their life trying to find a way out of this shit hole!" he fused.

"I know you're trying to help Brigitte but that doesn't give you a free pass to get in between her legs! You know what, screw trying to help. You don't even know if you really like her. Isn't that right? You think you _might_ like her because you both have the same kind of infection.

I'm not going to let you take advantage of my sister. Even if I have to tell her myself!" She threatened.

"What makes you think that I'm taking advantage of her?! As a matter of fact, why do you help me and then confront me like I'm some vagabond who's trying to kill Brigitte? Can you explain that to me? Can you please explain that to me?" he spoke rather fast.

"I already told you why. It's not for your sake."

"So you appreciate me helping your sister but you hate me so much, you won't thank me and you clearly think that I'm not good enough for her. Well there's something I was able to learn about you over the last day. You wouldn't give me the benefit of the doubt even if I was someone else.

You wouldn't even care if I was made from pure gold. Brigitte is your sister and you feel that she belongs to you. I'm not trying to take her from you if that's what you think. I hate your fucking guts but I've never _**once**_ told Brigitte to hate you just because I do. And I have to tell you that I really do.

So do me a favor and fuck off so I can get myself together. You can tell Brigitte anything you want. I'm not going to fret so don't count on it."

Ginger stood there with a look of disappointment. Sam was smart and she had to give him that. She couldn't pull a fast one over him so easily. "So are you expecting a thank you?" she started. "You think I should make you the hero of the story and ride off into the sunset with my sister? It's not going to happen like that Sam!" she snapped.

"There is no sunset in this fairytale. For us, it's all about the full moon. And I don't expect anything from you but your shitty attitude." he snapped back.

Ginger didn't know what else to say. Sam was doing a good job with Brigitte and she knew it. Brigitte had been alone for a long time with no one to help care for her. Sam came along and gave her new hope, new dreams, comfort and most of everything else she left behind in Bailey Downs.

Ginger also had to admit that she hadn't seen Brigitte's face of placidity in a long time. A few days ago, it seemed as if Ginger and Brigitte's bond was drifting apart. Sam actually helped that because Ginger spent more time lashing out at him that she didn't have the time to lash out at Brigitte.

Sam looked at Ginger with intensity. Ginger was speechless. Anything else she could say to downgrade Sam would be a lie. You couldn't lie around Sam because he'd figure it out sooner than the average person.

"Okay fine. Feel what you want to feel. I just want to be clear with you." was all Ginger could think to say before fading away again.

Sam took in a deep breath and let it out. He was finally to himself. That was before Drew knocked. "WHAT!" Sam yelled, tired of being annoyed by everyone in the world.

His exclamatory response caught Drew by surprise. "Don't mean to bother you, but I was going to ask who you were talking to? It sounded like you were talking to someone."

Sam opened the bathroom door and looked at Drew directly. "I thought I asked you not to bother me anymore. Why can't you leave me alone for a few seconds? Huh? I ask you to do one thing and you can't even do that." Sam fumed in a casual tone.

"Sorry. I just wanted to know who you were talking to." Drew said offended.

"Even if I was talking to someone, it's none of your fucking business. I don't get into yours, so stay the hell out of mine." he said in the same way. Sam came to understand that his mind wasn't where it needed to be. "I need to get a breath of fresh air." he calmed down some.

"It's cold out there. I don't know for sure, but I think the blizzard is starting."

"What time is it?" Sam asked.

"It's almost 6 o' clock."

Sam didn't reimburse Drew's answer. He walked outside anyway. Snow was still falling down. The winds picked up a little more strength. Sam closed his eyes and sniffed in the cool air. "The full moon." he whispered to himself. "Maybe it does have something to do with me acting this way after all. This transformation is threatening to come out and the moon is going to be a great help tonight." said to himself bit louder.

He looked over to Brigitte's door. He thought, should he tell her how he feels about her in case he does lose his battle with his Lycanthropy. Or should he try to hold on little longer and find the right time to tell her. It was hard trying to find a conclusion. "Whatever happens, I'll be ready." he whispered to himself again.

* * *

Now I added in another Character named **Bridget **because Canada is so big and someone is bound to have the same name or the same-sounding name. I know I've ran into a lot of people who shares my name and I know a lot of people with the same name. So I thought I would put a little reality in here by having a character coincidentally having the same-sounding name.


	11. An Uneasy Confession

Back in the office with Heather and Bridget, Heather began smoking another cigarette. "From the looks of it, I'd say you were rejected." she told Bridget..

"I wasn't rejected. I wasn't able to make my move because some idiot cut into my time." she replied.

"What idiot?" Heather was puzzled.

"Some idiot with messed up hair and the brain of a two year old." she scorned.

Bridget wasn't valiant enough to admit that Drew might have been right about Sam being in love with Brigitte. She made it up in her mind that she was going to ask Sam personally if he had love for Brigitte. If he says yes, then she'd leave him alone. If the answer was no, then she was going to weasel her way into his heart; however not for the reasons of love. Rather because she liked having the best looking guy on her shoulders.

While she was thinking, a customer in his mid-forties came in complaining about the heating unit. "Hey Heather, tell Todd that there's a problem with room 11's heating unit." Bridget ordered.

Heather sneered. She didn't feel like it. "Why aren't there any real men to work around here."

"Maybe because you ran them all off." Bridget responded. Heather scoffed and dragged her way to the back to where Todd was.

Now that Sam, Brigitte, and Drew made it where the Ferland's lived and were waiting out the storm, Somewhere not far off from where they were, the wolves were hot on their trail. The female was a few miles ahead of the male. Every time she smelled Brigitte's scent made her blood boil.

It was coming in the deep of winter. In that time, mating season for the wolves begun. Her attitude was just as dangerous as before. She was coming in heat and hoped to get Sam as her mated couple as soon as possible.

Like migrating salmon, she was pushed by determination to trek through the piling snow and strong winds. She wasn't going to let anything get in her way. The male had the same thing in mind for Brigitte. They had gone a very long time with no mate and ventured to cease their lonely status.

Back at the hotel, Brigitte had taken off of her jacket and laid it on the dresser. She wasn't going to put anything in it's rightful place because they had things to do and places to go. She set everything to where she wouldn't have trouble getting her things together later.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and took off her shoes. They didn't bring any extra clothes with them so she made do with what she had.

It was before long when Ginger appeared. "I take it that Sam hasn't told you what was on his mind yet." she began out of the blue.

Brigitte was so used to her showing up that she didn't startle. "And I take it that you do." Brigitte replied.

"Of course I do. But I don't think it would be right for me to tell you."

"Why do you hate Sam so much? After everything he's helped me with, why do you hate him?" Brigitte wanted to find out once and for all.

"I thought he was steeling you away from me." she started humbly. "I have a confession to make Brigitte."

"Confession about what?" Brigitte asked in her usual grave tone.

"On Halloween night, I told you that I was going to see Sam because I intended on you following me there. I wanted to prove to you that he wasn't good enough for you. I tried to seduce him so you could walk in on us and see him for the asshole he was. But it didn't work. He rejected me so...I broke his arm."

Brigitte's eyes were wide opened after her confession. "So you hate Sam not only because I went to him for help, but because he proved you wrong."

"He didn't upset me because you went to him for help. And believe me, I was upset when you put him over me. But it was something else." she clued her in.

"I've never put Sam over you Ginger. You were the sole reason I sought help from him in the first place. If it hadn't been for that werewolf infecting you, I wouldn't have gone to see Sam. You never gave me a chance to explain it to you before, but now I am. You were always my first priority. While you were afraid of losing me, I was afraid of loosing you." Brigitte spoke with tears falling down her cheeks.

Ginger felt bad though she didn't show it. She held her head low for a second. She lifted back up when Brigitte began speaking again. "When I told Sam I was infected, he wasn't making that stuff for me. He already knew you were the one infected so he made it specifically for you. Like he said, he could have turned me down. But he didn't. Even when I lied. So you owe him more credit for that."

Ginger couldn't believe that Sam, the man who hated her guts, made something for her to get better. Brigitte was right. She did owe him a lot. So she did her best to make up for that. "Sam needs you Brigitte. Even more than you need him. This one isn't hard to figure out." she faded away after saying what she needed to say.

Brigitte wiped the tears from her eyes. She hoped that tête-à-tête would help her sister and Sam get along with each other better.

It was getting really dark out and the snow fell faster. The winds were devastating. Brigitte was lying on the bed with her arms tightly about herself as if the winds were blowing on the inside. The reason was because she couldn't get Sam off of her mind.

It was annoying; however she liked thinking of other things other than how her life was coming to an end. She was right about one thing before. Traveling with Sam was a whole lot different than traveling alone. He had indeed brought her new hopes. It was a long time since she had optimism in her heart. She liked that feeling a lot.

She was about to close her eyes when she hearkened strong knocks on her door. She got up to answer it. She had to be careful so the door would get blown in by the winds. Sam was standing in front of the door. She hurried him inside.

He shook the snow off of himself and shivered little. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"I was having sometime to myself when Drew complained about being hungry. Luckily there was a small deli in the back of the motel. I thought since we were going to be snowed in for a long time, you should have something too.

I didn't know what you wanted so I got whatever I could." he said with a weather-beaten voice. He placed a brown bag on her bed and prepared to go out again.

Brigitte noticed his scent got stronger than before. "Show me your teeth Sam." Brigitte demanded him with his back turned toward her. He whirled around to see her looking serious.

"You want to see my teeth?" he said a bit nervous.

"I want to see your teeth." she reiterated. "I can smell a huge difference in you Sam now open your mouth." she gave her ultimatum.

There was no reason for Sam to prevent her from looking into his mouth. He walked over to her and showed her that his teeth had grown into small fangs. "Before you speculate the solution, it's working. Something else is going on with me, that's all." he saved her thinking-trouble.

"You were telling me something like that earlier. You were about to tell me something else but you never got around to that."

Sam felt cornered. "I was wasn't I?" he snickered a bit. "yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I knew what was wrong with me and I think I can handle it now." he tried his best to keep from telling the absolute truth.

"Doesn't look like your handling it to me. If anything you're getting worst. So are you going to tell me what's going on? I'm pretty sure the full moon is only part of it, but there's something else. I know there is." she let him know that she was on to him.

Sam wasn't ready to confess. He was a long way from it. Part of him told him it was okay to tell her, the other had doubt that Brigitte would return his feelings. Brigitte was the type of girl he had a hard time reading. She was challenging.

Normally, he was good at reading people from the first few encounters. But with her, it took a little while longer. "Have you talked to Ginger?" he asked.

"Why would you ask about Ginger?" she asked. Perplexed at the sudden question.

"She knows what's wrong with me. I thought she might have told you by now."

"I did talk to her. She told me that you needed my help. That is if you tell me what's wrong so I can help."

Sam was sweating as if he spent hours in a sauna. When he was about to utter his first word the lights went out. The storm took a toll on the electricity. "Great!" Sam called out.

On the outside, Todd was fixing the heating unit when the power went out. "Forget it!

I knew I should have taken the job with working at Starlight air-conditioning. But no, I had to turn it down and work at this dump." he argued to himself, throwing the wrench and screwdriver down in the snow and going back inside the office part of the motel.

Brigitte looked out of the window and saw that every light had gone out. She couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness that was further hidden through the thick curtains of snow. "This is going to be a long night." Brigitte said in a low tone.

It was moments later when the emergency lights were turned on by Todd. Lights were in the inside of the room as well. It wasn't as filling as a regular room light, but it cast some bit of pure white light that made Sam and Brigitte's figures appear as silhouettes.

Sam went toward the door. Brigitte took her gaze from the window and looked at him. "Are you seriously going back out there?" Brigitte asked.

"Yeah, I need to get back to Drew before he hurts himself." he replied.

Brigitte was tired of running around the bush with Sam. She straightened herself upright and called him out. "Alright Sam, I need you to get your act together and tell me what the hell is wrong with you. You've been avoiding me for the longest and it's really pissing me off." she spoke firm and stern.

Sam halted from opening the door and let his hand drop down to his side. He didn't dare to look at Brigitte so he kept his face turned toward the door. His heart felt like it was about to burst clean out of his chest. He blew a deep breath. "You already know my Lycanthropy is acting up, right?" he began.

"You've told me about a thousand times already. I need to know more." she demanded.

"But that's the thing Brigitte." he said finally turning to face her. "I'm not ready to tell you. It's too personal and I'm just not ready to discuss it yet." he finally admitted it.

"When will you be ready? When you transform?! When your completely at your wits end?! I think it would be too late Sam! Whatever it is, you need to tell me before this gets out of control and there's nothing we can do about it." she ended ominously.

Sam walked over and sat on the bed in a hopeless manner. "All I can count on now is getting to the Ferland's and find out if they have a cure or not. Maybe everything would start going uphill from there."

"And what if there isn't? What if there's another way to reduce your transformation right now and I can't figure it out because you won't tell me what's wrong with you.

You saw those footprints a few inches from their home. What Lycanthrope is going to go all the way out there where people live and there wasn't a single broken window? Not a scratch on the door. Not even the smallest amount of blood shed.

I'm sure they have something but whatever that something is, I know it's not enough." she said strictly. Sam listened with furrowed brows.

"We'll just have to see when we get there." was all he could say.

"If we get there." Brigitte corrected him. She said that to do her best to use reverse psychology to make him spill the beans.

"I'm turning because my testosterone levels refuse to go down. This time of the year is causing them to heighten and I can't lower it unless..." he paused for a moment.

"Unless what?" she asked him strictly.

"Unless I take my anger out on something by killing it. Most of the times, I want to kill Drew." he lied, partially.

"Why Drew?" she said a bit horrified.

"I think you know why." he said to get Brigitte thinking, he didn't like doing that, but he was trying to buy himself some more time. At the same time, he hoped he wasn't ruining his chances with her.

Brigitte let off of him for a little while and began thinking. She was tired from all of the running around that day, she didn't have enough energy to think like she wanted to. She sat down on the bed next to Sam and folded her arms.

Since Brigitte didn't think too hard, she was able to see the obvious. Everything came to her at once. When she thought about asking Sam why he wanted to kill Drew, she thought about the other wolf and thought about why it wanted to kill Sam.

She didn't know if her theory was right, but she speculated further that Sam might be experiencing hormonal change which is why his testosterone wouldn't lower.

Then she remembered some things from the book. Those wolves became jealous of other wolves. Then she recalled when Sam told her something about a second nature. She finalized the puzzle by recollecting what her sister told her.

When she went over everything in her head mentally, she was able to see clearer. Sam had a second nature which made him jealous of Drew because he was another wolf. He constantly lashed out at him because he truly did wish to kill him.

Since he wasn't able to appease that thirst coming from his Lycanthropy, it found another way out; through his body. The full moon was just hastening it along.

Her eyes opened up wide when she came to that realization. But what stumped her was why Sam didn't want to tell her. She wouldn't have gotten upset nor seen him any different than who he was.

She let that set in her mind. When she had it all figured out, she laid down and closed her eyes. "You don't have to worry about telling me Sam. I already know why."

"Really?" he asked dubiously.

"Take my word for it." she said normally.

Sam wondered what was surging through her mind. If she knew, wouldn't she have confronted him? Or was she jerking his chain? That conundrum now formed itself into uncertainty.

Sam lifted from the bed and prepared to leave again. Before he could get in two steps, he felt something wet on his nose. He could smell that it was blood. It trickled down his lips and he wiped it away. Then his stomach turned. He became nauseated and held his stomach.

Brigitte looked up to see where he was because she felt him leave the bed, but she didn't hear the door. She saw Sam's silhouette at the foot of the bed holding his stomach. "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

He made a gagging sound and took off to the bathroom. Brigitte jumped out of the bed and ran to him. There was hardly any light in the bathroom but she was able to see him kneeling down, hurling in the toilet. She sat next to him and put her hands on each side of his shoulders.

"This is a bitch." Sam panted. "I really hate this. Do me favor, if I start undergoing a full metamorphosis put me out of my misery and bury in a greenhouse to mark the beginning of my miserable life." he said exhausted.

"Stop beating yourself up. You're not going to turn and I'm not going to kill you." she assured him.

"Even if I did, would you?" he sensed out to her.

Brigitte didn't want to cogitate that. And she didn't try to find an answer for that either. "All I know is we're going to get through this together. No one is going to turn any time soon." she optimized while laying him on her chest.

"That makes me feel a lot better." he said in a low tone, still panting. Brigitte held him tighter and pressed his head to her then rested her chin on the top of his head. Sam laid there without a word. He couldn't remember the last time he was held that way.

Brigitte reminisced that she held her sister that way whenever she was in trouble with herself. She didn't think that she'd ever hold anyone in her arms like that again.

While Sam was lying there, he heard the sound of her heart beating. It was fast and strong. So strong that it felt like it was beating inside of him. The sound became thrilling and made him lust for her even more.

The touch of her skin made him want her just as much. The smell, the touch, the sound was overbearing. His pupils dilated again. He felt his conscious slipping into a world beyond his control. He had to pull away from her even though he didn't want to.

"Um, I'm ready to get out of here." he said low and placid.

"Depending on wherever 'here' is." Brigitte wanted a specific answer.

"I'm ready to come out of the bathroom. Its making me feel claustrophobic."

Brigitte helped him onto his feet and walked him over to the bed. She helped him take his jacket and shoes off then laid him down. She sat down on the side of him. Sam stared at the ceiling with empty thoughts.

Brigitte was the one who was doing some thinking in the meantime. She looked over to the lamp that was sitting on a nightstand next to the bed. She rubbed the white base of the lamp and felt that it was made of glass.

The lights were out anyway and the emergency lights were on, so she got up and unplugged the lamp. Sam hearkened rumbling going on so he turned to face Brigitte. "What are you doing?" he asked softly.

"Looking for an alternative." she replied as she scooped the lamp from the dresser. Sam didn't move from his lying position, he watched as Brigitte took the lamp to the bathroom. The next thing he heard was glass being broken on a hard surface. He wanted to get up to see what she was doing but he didn't feel like it.

Brigitte had broken the lamp in the tub and found a jagged piece of the shattered glass. She didn't need it to be big, just sharp enough.

She came back to the room and sat the piece on the dresser where the lamp used to be. Then she walked over to where Sam had set her food and some drink in a big Styrofoam cup. She took the plastic top off of it and drank the drink as fast as she could.

Sam was wondering what in the world had gotten into her. She was acting strange. Breaking a lamp in the tub and chugging down drink had question marks written all over it.

When Brigitte finished her drink, she brought the now empty cup and placed it on the floor on the side of the bed. "Give me your arm." she spoke fast, taking the glass shard from the dresser.

Sam asked no questions. He just did what she told him to. He gave her his arm and she gripped it tightly with her left hand. With her right, she used the jagged piece of glass and cut his wrist with it.

"Ouch! Why are you cutting my wrist?" he jerked at the pain. He rolled onto his side and propped himself up by his elbow.

"The flow of blood in the body accumulates things like oxygen in the hemoglobin. In our case, it delivers the Lycanthrope bacteria around every part of our bodies. If I can slow the blood flow, then I can slow the transformation for now." she explained.

That made sense to Sam. Brigitte bled his arm and let his blood fall into the empty cup. Sam didn't care at all that he was losing blood. The only thing that he really paid attention to was Brigitte's warm grip on his arm.

The sanguineous process depleted Sam of his energy. He got light-headed and could barely cognizance what was going on. Brigitte filled the cup all the way to the top. She wasn't too happy about exsanguinating Sam like that. Though it was kind of dark, she could see his silhouette swaying back and forth. She knew he was dizzy and it made her feel even worst about exsanguinating him.

The blood loss made Sam sleepy. He lied back down facing upward at the ceiling. His eyelids got heavier and heavier. A little while later, he dozed off and went to sleep. Brigitte took up the cup of blood and placed it on the nightstand. Losing blood also makes you cold so she got into the bed with him and held him so she could share her body heat with him.

She didn't have to worry about turning off the lights because they were already off. She wasn't sleepy yet anyway. She stayed up watching Sam most of the night to make sure he didn't go deeper in the transformation.

Hours passed and the storm outside got worst. The winds were so strong and loud, the very buildings cringed as if they were afraid to be knocked down. To Brigitte, it was simply a part of nature. She had eaten the food Sam brought for her; Soup without meat and thick pieces of grilled bread.

After a while, her eyes became heavy and she yawned a few times. Before she knew it, she was right behind Sam, out cold.


	12. Obstacles Are Not An Option

When Brigitte's eyes opened, the room was bright blue. When the blur was gone from her eyes, she saw that Sam had already gotten up. One thing about Sam he was a really early riser. She had been herself, but the last few days left her drained and deprived of energy.

She got out of the bed and went to the bathroom. She looked into her own face and didn't see any changes. She still looked normal. She couldn't get a shower because the broken lamp pieces were still in the tub. She didn't even have any spare clothes with her at that matter.

She knew she was going to have to freshen up some other time. The best thing about hotels and motels is that they come with things to freshen yourself up with. That motel offered a small bottle of mouthwash.

She did her best to fix herself up before walking out of the bathroom. She walked outside and saw Drew standing in the completely covered up parking lot. The snow came up to the lower area of his shin. It was indeed a terrible storm last night and she and Sam slept right through it.

Brigitte looked around and didn't see Sam anywhere, but she saw his footprints that lead from her front door to the other side of the lot to the room where he was staying.

In a way. Sam made it easier for Brigitte to venture out without getting slowed down by the snow. She reused the opening he made in the ground and walked over there.

Drew saw Brigitte coming his way. "Hey Brigitte, Sam is in our room if you're looking for him." he shivered.

"I can see that." she said simply.

"You know he looked kind of sluggish when I saw him, is he alright?" he asked with concern.

"Since when did you become concerned about Sam?" she pondered to him.

"It's not so much that I'm concern I'm just curious."

"Last night...Sam was turning more rapid and I had to slow his transformation." she replied.

"What did you do?" he asked curiouser.

"I had to drain his blood last night. Not all of it but enough. He's going to be weak for a while but at least he'll still be him." Brigitte replied. Then she thought about why he was just standing there. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Like I said, Sam seemed sluggish so of course, I had to get out of is way or else he was going to end up taking his mood swings out on me and I don't need anymore of them." he figured.

"I have to admit that you've gotten a bit more clever since we met you." Brigitte complimented in a way. "So why are you just standing here in the cold?" She asked again.

"When I left our room, I went to the office to sit for a moment. Oh, and by the way," Drew detoured from what he was about to say. "I found out that the girl works here name is Bridget. Isn't that something?" he smiled.

"Wonderful. Why didn't you stay in the office?" She asked to put him back on track.

"Well, I was there, sitting, minding my own business and then Bridget saw me and started an argument with me. She said that she didn't want me in there and some other bull she was saying that's degrading.

I told her that I was there to give Sam some space because he needed it. She was about to go to our room to try to flirt with Sam, again, but I told her no." he was about to say more when Brigitte cut him off.

"Again? When was the first time?" she asked, feeling more offended than she wanted to.

"It was yesterday when we first got the room. She came in there wanting to talk to Sam. I didn't know what for until she started flirting with him. I have to give it to Sam because her charms were totally useless. Besides, he had you on his mind.

He didn't have to tell me he was thinking about you, I already knew it. And like I predicted, he went straight to your room." he smiled a big smile. "So what were you guys talking about yesterday anyway?" he ended.

Brigitte remembered what they were talking about yesterday, but she wasn't going to tell Drew because she and Sam had shared a nearly unintentional kiss. Two kisses in fact. Just talking about all of it made her blush. "We were just talking about what we were going to do about the Ferland's. That's all."

"Oh. Well, like I was saying before: I told Bridget not to go bothering Sam with her futile techniques because they weren't going to work. She got mad at me and told me to get out. I asked her what was I going to do in the cold because I couldn't go back to my room. So she told me to stand out here and wait for the plowing trucks to arrive and clear the streets of the snow and keep an eye out on Todd while he fixed the power surges that were blown." he told of his entire morning.

"How long have you been out here?" Brigitte asked him.

"Maybe 45 minutes to an hour. It's freezing out here." he shivered some more.

"Here," Brigitte said handing him the key to her room. "go inside and get warm. I'm going to go check on Sam and make sure he's okay to venture out today."

"Oh, bless you Brigitte. You're the sweetest person on earth." he took he key and nearly ran to the room. Brigitte continued on to Sam's room. She twisted the doorknob and found that it was already unlocked. She pushed the door opened carefully and peered in to make sure she wasn't invading in on his privacy.

When she closed the door, Sam came out of the bathroom with a blanch look. "How are you feeling?" she asked him as she walked over to him.

"You know, drowsy, headache, fatigue, et cetera." he spoke wearily.

"Are you going to be able to go out today?"

"Definitely. I'll do anything it takes to find out how to get rid of this once and for all." he spoke with heavy eyes.

"Okay. Before we go, we have to wait until the snowplows arrive and clear the road." she informed him.

"Why is it that whenever we're a step ahead something just _has_ to come about and wreck everything? This is getting really annoying." he exasperated.

"Don't worry, everything will turn out fine. We'll find a cure and find a way out of this hell." Brigitte assured him.

Sam snickered, "You know I love your optimism. In a way, I think that's how you express your enthusiasm. It's rare, but I can tell." Sam flirted again.

Once more Brigitte wan unaware. "Let's just hope my optimism is enough for the both of us." she said plainly.

Sam nodded his head indicating that he understood what she was saying. "So I guess walking back to the Ferland's is out of the question." he said a few seconds later. Brigitte nodded her head. "Okay. We'll just have to wait it out." Sam ended bothered.

Sam closed his eyes and lied down. When he did, Brigitte saw that his ears had gotten pointier. She didn't like to see Sam enduring that. After all that he had done to help her in the past, he didn't deserve this. Neither of them did when they were only trying to help Ginger.

She licked the bitter and warm saliva from her teeth that formed because she was about to cry. She knew she couldn't. Not now. She would have to save her tears and use them for strength. If she didn't have the strength she needed to complete their task, she would lose Sam for good. Maybe even herself.

She heard Sam release a loud exhale breath. He aroused from the bed and began to put on his jacket. "We can't just sit around here. We have to do something that will give us a head start with or without the snowplows." he said.

Brigitte agreed and went along with him. He walked out to the parking lot and began to sweep the snow from the windshield of the car. Brigitte cleared the back window. "Hey, have you seen Drew?" Sam asked.

"I found him standing out here in the cold so I told him to go to my room." she explained as best as she could.

Sam didn't say anything, he only motioned an 'okay' by quickly twitching the corner of his lips downward.

Soon after, Bridget came out of the office. "A good morning to you." she said when she saw them clearing off the car. Brigitte had some contempt for her. That feeling allowed her to empathize with Sam and what he was going through.

Bridget walked closer to them "Can I get you guys anything?" She asked, hugging herself tightly with a thick jacket like Brigitte's only it was dark-purple.

"Do you have a hose? A lot of salt maybe?" Sam asked without looking directly at her.

"I don't know about salt, but we do have a hose." she replied with a smile.

Brigitte knew Sam was going to use the hose to melt the snow from around the car. Then she had another thought. "If you use a hose to melt the snow away, the water will freeze on the ground and someone might slip on it." she cautioned.

"It was the only other thing I could think of." he replied.

Bridget added her own say, "The snowplows should be here soon. They'd be able to free up snow a lot faster. Do you wanna wait until?" she asked the both of them.

"We don't have that kind of time." Brigitte clued her in. "We're not from around here and we're trying to get what we need from this place and be gone." she spoke at normal speed.

"Oh really? Where are you guys from? Are you from the same place?" she asked, though her intentions were to find out if they were really a couple or had some kind of relationship to each other.

Sam didn't feel like answering questions and neither did Brigitte. So Sam did what he did best. "If you really want to know that bad, detective, then we're from the same depths of a vicinity that produces anomalies from a different kind of understanding." he gave an elaborate reply.

The way he said it was kind of funny to Brigitte. Bridget however, was having difficulty understanding anything he just said. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I'll tell you what," Sam poke again, "maybe you can find a speech translator lying around somewhere and then come back later." he said pretty strict without eye contact so she wouldn't see his eyes. He used his old tricks from Bailey Downs to shoo off people he didn't feel like talking to or didn't want to talk to.

Bridget was lost for words. Never in her life had she been told anything like that. She wasn't sure, but somehow she felt what Sam said was insulting. She turned and began to walk away. "If you feel like you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask." with that, she left.

Brigitte marveled a the way he handled things. He had this subtle way of letting people know he wasn't in the mood to be bothered. Brigitte was the type to show how she's feeling and will say if she wants to speak or not.

They went back to doing their labor in the cold. Brigitte paused a moment. Sam saw her animation suspend. "Is everything fine?" he asked, ceasing his own work.

"The snowplows might be coming to clear this area, but I don't think they'd clear out the road that goes to the Ferland's. Their road is too far in the woods and the road is unpaved and too thin." she solved.

"Huh, good thinking on your part." Sam leaned his back on the side of the car. "So I guess we can take the car some of the way and then walk the rest right? That road is long and it's going to be a long walk there and back."

"I know. There's no telling how long it'll take. We have to do do something about you pronto and I don't think it can wait that long." Brigitte had a look of worry in her eyes.

Sam felt culpable for her feeling that way. "Don't worry about me Brigitte." he tried to make her understand once again. "The only thing I can say is that we made it this far and it's gong to pay off. So, even if I do–turn into a Lycan, you won't leave here empty handed."

Brigitte didn't like where the conversation was headed but she let him finish anyway. He continued. "If I do undergo metamorphosis, don't hesitate to put me out of my misery. I'm pretty sure I won't recall who you are or anything else." he said seriously.

"I'm not going to let that happen Sam. We're going to make it through and we're going to be successful. If you can't help me believe that, then what's the point of us sticking together if one of us is going to give up?" She spoke like a true soldier.

"I didn't give up on my sister and I'm not going to give up on you, no matter how late you think it is. What I learned a few days ago is that it's never too late unless it's absolutely necessary. I thought it was too late for me but as it turns out it wasn't. I know if it wasn't too late for me, then it's certainly not to late for you."

That gave Sam a bit more hope. He wanted to stay who he was and he was going to go down trying. He hung onto Brigitte's words and gripped her hand tightly. "I didn't tell you I admired your optimism for nothing." he smiled a bit.

Brigitte's eyes were watery but she didn't allow for the tears to fall. To her, crying was for people who was mourning someone and right now, she was not going to mourn over Sam now or a time too soon.

Bridget returned with the hose Sam requested and saw them in a tender moment. They were holding hands and looking at each other deeply. The intensity of their stare was so strong that she was able to sense something was indeed between them.

She decided to back off and let them alone. But she wasn't going to give Drew the satisfaction of being right. She walked over to them with a new demeanor and handed the hose to Brigitte. "It's not going to stretch much longer but I'm sure it'll get the job done."

Brigitte let go of Sam's hand and grabbed the hose. "Thanks." she said with a strong 'Th'.

"I'll go tell Todd to turn the water on for you." she tramped through the thick snow and went back inside the office. When she went through the door, Heather came out.

She lit another cigarette and stood in front of the doorway. "I still can't believe you're not dating or anything. You look so cute together." she said with her cracked voice.

"I take it that these people don't believe in privacy." Brigitte told Sam in a dull tone a little above a whisper.

"Well they're going to have to learn because I'm two seconds away from losing my patience with them." he said in the same voice level.

"You guys want a smoke?" Heather called over to them.

Even though Sam did smoke and craved to again, he didn't except other drugs from anyone else. Even if he was still smoking he wouldn't get it from anyone he didn't know or didn't want to know.

Brigitte didn't smoke anymore anyway because she used to do it with her sister. She hadn't raised not one cigarette in her mouth since Ginger died. She and Sam both declined.

Heather humped her shoulders and continued her blatant espionage. Her standing there was getting on Sam and Brigitte's nerves. "I can't take this anymore. I think I mentioned before that I hate it when people stare." Brigitte dropped the hose and began to walk away quickly. Sam went along with her.

The hose began to produce water just when they had left. It loosened the snow that was on the left side of the car.

They went to her room where Drew was sitting on the couch humming a tune. "Hey guys. What's got you so worked up?"

"People." Brigitte said hard.

"People? What people? Have the snowplows arrived yet?" he thought she might have been talking about the people who were working the plows.

"No they're not here yet. It doesn't matter because we're going to make a way out of here." she declared. "Get your things ready Drew because we're leaving." she demanded lastly.

"So you don't want to wait for the plows?" he asked with an uncertainty.

Sam intervened. "Does it sound like she's waiting for the plows?" he asked sarcastically.

Drew saw his point and got off of the couch and put on his jacket. While he was doing that, Ginger appeared to Sam and Brigitte. "I have some news for you two."

"Not here. Tell us somewhere else." Brigitte told her.

"Did you say something?" Drew asked while zipping up his jacket.

"Wait here Drew we'll be back." Sam instructed.

"Where are you going?" He asked the estranged pair.

"Somewhere to handle personal affairs." Sam answered on his way out of the door behind Brigitte.

When the door closed behind them, Drew spoke to himself, "Those two are the oddest people I have ever seen in my life. Now, should I leave the jacket on or take it off? I guess I'll leave it it on and wait until they come back." he plopped on the couch and rested his eyes.

Brigitte and Sam went into the room he and Drew were staying in. Ginger appeared there where they were. "Where were we?' Ginger began again. "Ah yes, I had some news or you two."

"What kind of news?" Brigitte asked anxiously. She and Sam listened carefully.

"I'm here to tell you that your wolf friends are on their way here. Shocking, I know. Just like You can't tell a determined migrating salmon that it can't swim upstream, you can't tell a determined migrating wolf that it can't move quickly." She compared.

"How far away are they?" Sam asked next.

"You know the place where you met Drew? Well, they're there now. They arrived there about 15 minutes ago. You know what that means right?"

"You've got to be kidding me." he breathed out.

Brigitte was horrified. "How long will it take for them to get here?" her eyes were opened wider than usual but not too wide.

"I don't know B. You're going to have to get a move on. In case you need some words of encouragement, I know you can do it." She left them where they were.

"Great! This is just Great!" Sam yelled.

"Nothing is going to get done with us standing here and yelling, we have to get moving."

Sam and Brigitte rushed to the door and swung it open. Drew was just about to knock when they opened the door. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"What are you doing over here?" Sam asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you two were sill going. If you were, I was going to tell you that I'm not going. Obviously you guys look like you're in a rush and I don't want to slow you down. So I'm going to stay here."

"That's fine with me." Sam replied. He and Brigitte went over to the car. The ice had melted around the car and a thin trim of ice was formed from the water that leaked away from the car. Sam picked up the hose. "At least something got done while we were gone. Hey Drew!" Sam called to him before he went back inside of his room. "Go to the office and tell them we're done with hose."

Drew was happy Sam told him that. Now he had every reason to go in the office and Bridget couldn't turn him away. He was thinking of the perfect insult while he made his way to the office area.

"Are you sure to leave him here?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"He's an adult I'm pretty sure can take of himself."

While Sam laid the hose aside, he and Brigitte heard loud noises. They went out to the entrance of the motel to get a good view down the road. They saw a pair of snowplows coming their way. They were so huge that one of them alone took up the entire space of one side of the road. There was one on each side, shoveling the snow out of the way.

"Now what?" Brigitte asked next.

They watched on and saw the men place road block signs on the side of the road. They came down to where they were and placed some signs in front of the Hotel parking lot before continuing down the road.

Behind the snowplows came some street sweepers. The front of the them looked like giant buffers secreting water mixed with salt to keep the ice from forming on the road afterward.

"This is going to take forever." Brigitte announced, "Even if we take the car behind them, we'd be slowed down and there's now way around them."

"I guess it's safe to consider ourselves fucked." Sam said low.

"Not yet." Brigitte said, turning to look at him. "I guess walking is in this equation after all. If we walk now, we might have some chance of getting there and coming back before the wolves can show up. They're still a long ways away from us."

"Okay." Sam said nervously. "Every great journey begins with the first step." he said when He and Brigitte made up their minds to start walking.

Before they got started, Drew came out with an expression that showed he was angry. "What happened to you?" Brigitte asked.

"I went in there to tell Bridget to turn the hose off. She told me to go in the back and tell Todd for myself. I told her I didn't want to do it then she called me a nagger." he singed.

"The short version please." Sam intervened before Drew could say anything more.

"She called me a nagger. I got upset and we both started calling each other names. She said I acted like a little girl. I said I didn't. Then she took out a bottle of perfume and sprayed me with it! Now I smell like a girl! Not like a man at all!" he explained angrily.

Brigitte took a whiff of him. "You do smell different."

"I know! I don't smell like me at all! And I like the way I smell. Not like this but the real me." he wanted to be clear of what he meant.

Sam stood in silence with his eyebrows furrowed. Just then, he abruptly went to the office as fast as he could.

"Sam where are you going?!" Brigitte yelled out to him.

"Stay right there, I'll be back." He disappeared behind the office door.

Sam walked up to the counter where Bridget was talking to Heather. "Can I help you." Bridget asked with a perky tone of voice.

"I heard that you sprayed Drew back there with some perfume." He began.

"Yeah, I did." she said with no rueful tone.

"Do you mind if I see the perfume bottle?" he asked as nice as he could though in a rush.

Bridget got out the bottle of perfume. It was a round-shaped with a light-pink liquid inside. "Surely you won't mind if I borrow that would you?" he asked in a dull tone.

"You need to what?" She said taken off guard by his request.

"I need to borrow that. I'll pay you back." he said a bit slower so she could comprehend with what he just asked.

Bridget didn't know what his intentions for the perfume was but she wasn't going to ask why because Sam didn't look like he was in the mood to speak about anything else anyway. She handed him the bottle and he left as soon as the bottle was placed in his hands.

"That was weird." Bridget told Heather.

"_Now_ I know who they remind me of." Heather said holding up her index finger. "They remind me of Gloria and her husband Hanson. They were weird just like them. Only these two are weirder." she ended, taking puff of her cigarette.

"Did you see his eyes?" Bridget asked with an unsure expression. "They looked kind of yellow."

"When people have blue eyes and standing in the light it appears as if they have yellow eyes. I thought my ex-husband had yellow eyes when he got angry." Heather joked.

"Hmm." Bridget sounded. A curiosity in her sparked. She knew Heather was probably right, but Sam's eyes looked too yellow for just a brief appearance.

When Sam got outside, he placed the bottle of perfume deep within his jacket. "Alright Brigitte let's go. We've already wasted enough time here." he walked quickly.

Brigitte followed him in the same pace. Drew saw them as they were heading down the road. "I thought you guys were going to take the car." he yelled since they were a distance away from him.

"There's too many road blocks." Sam called back. "Who knows how long they're going to take." he ended and walked further down the road with Brigitte. They walked fairly quickly despite the snow that was piled on the side of the road.

Drew saw them walk until he couldn't see them anymore. He walked across the somewhat thawed and somewhat frozen lot to his room and locked the door.


	13. Try To Be More Mature

The wind blew roughly in Sam and Brigitte's face. Some of her hair was whipped in front of her eyes. She didn't bother to move it because she knew it would only blow right back in the same place. She and Sam breathed heavily as they walked rapidly.

For a long time, the only noises they heard were their breath, the snow and the howling of the wind. They kept on their guard awaiting the unexpected. Along the way, the snow was so thick that they stumbled. As a solution, they held each other arm in arm to help the other in case either of them tripped.

Walking long distances was easy for Brigitte because she traveled by foot for a long time. Sam was having a little trouble keeping up with her because he was still weak from the blood drain. He felt dizzy but he fought through it.

Being tired while walking in the snow made Sam want to use every profane word in the book. He had to conserve as much energy as possible so he refrained from saying anything.

They had been walking for an hour. Their destination was 12 miles away. They had already covered 3 miles which took them about 45 minutes. Along the way they passed a few shops and other odd looking buildings that were just opening their doors for the public.

From that point, all they could see was snow on the ground as far as the eye could see. Sam was doing better in his walk. His blood had regenerated half of what he lost. The new blood warmed his body, but it didn't do any good for his Lycanthropy.

In his left boot, he could feel an extra toe coming in on the side. It was uncomfortable but he had to deal with it. He couldn't see it, but light gray-colored circles formed under his eyes; his ears grew longer and pointier.

At that moment in time, Sam felt like eviscerating something. He didn't care who or what it was. The thoughts were hard to combat as they were so tempting. He had to clear his thoughts and continue walking.

After two hours of traveling, Brigitte began to succumb to the cold. Sam wasn't bothered by it since he was further along in his transformation. They managed to cover another mile which took another 15 minutes when Brigitte's body was wearing down from battling the cold. She nearly tripped in a pile of snow but since she and Sam had an arm lock, he kept her from falling down.

Neither of them talked because they though it better to stay focused on what they were doing and where they were going. Walking and talking could easily throw you off track and they couldn't afford that.

Brigitte huffed and puffed loudly. Sam could hear the exhaustion in her voice. "Do you wanna Rest?" He asked, out of breath himself. Brigitte shook her head quickly. She made herself go on another mile.

After yet another 15 minutes, her knees buckled involuntarily. If Sam hadn't been holding her arm in his, she would have surely collapsed in the snow. "I think you need to rest. We've been walking for a while." Sam suggested. He sat down next to her, both of them catching their breaths.

They thought, if it had not been for the snow, they would have covered more ground. They were moving 4mph to their dismay. But the cost of the journey through the snow took its toll on them. They didn't want to rest but they knew they had to. If not, they would have without a doubt fainted from fatigue and wasted even more time by doing nothing against their will.

After a nice five minute break, they got back to their feet and went at it again. Brigitte had a headache but she wasn't going to allow that to stop her from getting where she and Sam needed to be. The time they had was extremely mandatory.

Back at the motel

Drew still had some money left over in his pocket that he got from Sam the previous day. He went outside and began to walk to the same Deli to grab himself a bite to eat. Upon going outside, he spotted Bridget walking across the lot to the room Brigitte was staying.

"Are you looking to pry, Angelface?" he startled her as he walked behind her.

Bridget was just about to go off when she caught herself and changed her demeanor to a self-restrained behavior. "Would you be so kind as to get away from me?" she spoke through her teeth.

"Of course. But you have to tell me why you're trying to go in there while Brigitte is gone." he beguiled.

"That's none of your business." she said hard and cold.

"Okay. I understand that it would be none of your business when I tell them what you've been up to, right?" he smiled big.

"Are you threatening me?" she asked with one brow raised.

"Did I say I was threatening you?" he switched to a plain face.

"You didn't say it, but it sure sounds like a threat." she summed.

"Well there's your answer. If I didn't say I was threatening you, then I'm not threatening you." he spoke quickly.

"Just because you say you didn't threaten me doesn't mean that you didn't'" she argued back.

"So if I sounded like I was threatening you but I wasn't threatening you, and I said I wasn't threatening you, then that means I wasn't threatening you." he spoke in tongues.

Bridget could barely keep up with what he was saying. She furled her brows and then rolled her eyes. She gave up what she was going to do in Brigitte's room and turned to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going, huh?" Drew said following her.

"Go find another fire hydrant to piss on because you've pissed me off enough!" she yelled at him.

"I can't go yet. How am I supposed to know that while I'm gone, you won't go sniffing around in there?" he said walking briskly in front if her.

"Go find a fortune teller and let her tell you your future." she said sardonically.

"Sorry, I don't do the fortune teller thing. I've seen a lot of movies with them and every time they read someone's future to them it the same ole 'You are in grave danger' scenario. To be honest, I'm not looking for danger."

"You're not going to need a fortune teller that you're going to be in grave danger because I can tell you for sure that you will be if you don't get out of my way."

"OH! Now look who's throwing threats pretty miss sunshine. You should really practice your people skill."

"And _you_ need to purchase a 'How To Be an Adult' handbook. Trust me, you need it more than adolescents." she insulted back. She was walking back toward the office when she slid on frozen water that came from the hose.

Drew was close enough to keep her from falling. "so do I get an apology?" he asked after helping her back up.

"Don't count on it." she said with mortification in her voice.

"If that's the way you want it I should have let you fall!" he yelled to her. The only response he received from her was her middle finger. "That woman is tou-chy." he said to himself. He was leaving to go to the deli when he changed his mind and went into the office.

Heather was at the front desk eating an apple. On her left side, a cigarette was still releasing smoke in the ashtray. Drew walked up to her gingerly. "Hello again miss, have you seen Bridget come through here?" he asked kindly.

"Yeah, she went to the back. She looked pretty mad. I'm thinking that it had something to do with you." she speculated.

Drew payed her nosiness no mind. "Can you tell me where in the back she went?" he asked again.

"Go around that corner," she pointed to the right, "you could probably find her in the washroom."

"There's a washroom in here?' he asked in disbelief.

"Think about where you are kid. This I a motel and I have to keep the sheets clean. You and those other two are the first customers I had here in a long time that came here without the intent of getting laid."

"Is something wrong with that?" he lifted both of his brows. Heather humped her shoulders and took another bite out of the apple. "Okay, so you seem to be the expert on these kinds of things so tell me, when was the last time you got laid? If you ask me, it looks like its been ages." Drew exposed the naked truth. Heather stopped chewing on the apple that was in her mouth to display a flabbergasted expression. He continued, "Actually, you look like the type of person who stays up all night watching porn because you can't get anyone else in the bed with you. This conversation is over." Drew concluded before going to the back where Heather directed him a few minutes ago.

Heather was lost for words. She didn't know how to take that. The only thing left for her to do was toss the apple into the garbage and pick up her cigarette and finish smoking it.

Drew walked to the back and saw Bridget sitting next to a folding table, filing her nails with a nail filer. "Is that how you do laundry?" he said catching her attention. The sound of his voice obviously upset her.

"What do you want now pee brain?" she said annoyed.

"Why do you have to keep being mean to me? I can't even say hello without you blowing up at me." he raised his arms in the air. "Don't tell me you're still mad about yesterday when I insulted you." he smirked.

"Do me a favor and walk in front of the snowplows." she said in a low and menacing tone.

"Look, I only came back here to make a peace offering. I'm about to go to the deli around the corner and I was going to ask you if you wanted to come with me." he said more seriously.

His offer caught her completely off guard. "Did you just ask me if I wanted to go with you to the deli?" she low and in perplexity.

"I understand that it's sudden, but I kind of figured that you're bitter because you're stuck here working with the nosiest woman on the planet and have no one around here of your age, so you're taking your frustrations out on me.

Well, I thought maybe I should put an end to your misery and try to lighten you up. What do you say?" he proposed.

Bridget stretched he lips to one side of her face. "What makes you think that you're my age. You sure as hell don't act like it."

"Okay, okay, I get that. Maybe we can both help each other out, what do you say?" he offered again.

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? Is there some kind of catch?" she asked suspiciously.

"No catch. I just don't like being at odds with people. I've been at odds most of my life and I want to meet someone who I'm not at odds with, you know." he said sympathetically.

"You don't seem to be at odds with Brigitte and Sam." she said as a matter of fact.

"That's where you're wrong. I am at great odds with Sam. Well, actually it's the other way around, but still. I don't want to be at odds with anyone. It's already hard enough keeping Sam off of my ass. Why would I want to add you to the list?"

Bridget sat and she thought. "Okay so if you're at odds with Sam, why are you sticking around? Why didn't you just leave?"

"The way Sam, Brigitte and I met wasn't on good terms. You see, I lost my girlfriend and then I lost my job. It was hard finding another one and I was almost without a roof over my head. So I resulted into steeling. So one day, I just so happened to have run into them a few days ago and I tried to rob them. The attempt didn't go as planned so I ran away.

The cops caught me, brought me back to the car and Sam told them he wasn't going to press charges. It was a shocking answer, but I took my freedom and left with it. I went to a bar and next thing you know, I see him and Brigitte again.

I'm thinking they changed their minds about having me arrested but they came there for a whole different reason." he trailed off right there.

"Well don't stop there," said Bridget as she found some interest in his story. "Why were they there if they weren't going to have you arrested?"

"Um, it's kind of hard to explain and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. But the reason they came there was to tell me that I had been infected with something. I forgot the name of it, but is has something to do with turning into a big ugly wolf." he said as simple as he could.

"Okay, I was beginning to find some kind of interest in this story, but you lost me there." Bridget said getting up from he chair she was sitting in.

"No, No wait I'm telling the truth! They said they were on the run from some things that they call werewolves. They said that the three of us were changing and they had to come all the way out here to do something about it." he said earnestly.

"Alright, I knew you were weird and immature at first, but dude, you are ridiculously crazy." she snickered.

"That's what I thought at first, until they put a leech on my arm. That thing turned into some kind beast-thing. Another thing is I saw Sam's eyes go from blue to yellow. And then he growled at me like he was an animal about to kill me! I swear it!" he mouthed off.

Bridget didn't believe him up until he mentioned the yellow in Sam's eyes. "You said his eyes were yellow?" she interrogated.

"Yeah. And Brigitte, she told me that they were working on finding a way to keep from transforming into a wolf because if they do, they would be stuck like that forever. One thing about Brigitte, you can't help but to believe her the way she sounds." he explicated further.

"So in a short version of what you just said, You're saying Sam's eyes not only looked yellow, but they were yellow because he's turning into a werwolf?" she used a tone of inquisition.

"Why do I get the feeling that you don't believe me?" Drew read her facial expression.

"Because! That is so absurd. I can understand him having contact lenses but turning into a werewolf?!"

"Well haven't you seen them acting strange and not like the average people?" he asked in a high pitch.

"Yes, so what. Heather said that Gloria and Hanson were the same way. That doesn't make them wolves now does it?"

The names rung a bell in Drew's head. "Did you say Hanson and Gloria? The Ferlands right?"

"Yes, do you know them?" she crossed her arms.

"Well we don't know them personally, but we know of them. That's why we're here. Sam and Brigitte are looking for this guy. They wanted to ask him some questions about being infected or something like that."

"Uh hmm. That's not my problem." she said superciliously.

"Okay so you don't believe me. But know that I'm telling the truth, please."

"Do you take me for an idiot?! I may not know a lot of things, but I'm not stupid! So don't insult my intelligence. And about the deli, I was thinking about excepting your offer but you can forget it! I wouldn't be caught dead with a wild-haired creep that believes in werwolves. Next thing you know you'll be telling me that you have the boogeyman man in your closet!" she raged and walked out of the laundry room.

Drew sighed. He was so close to ending their feud. "Maybe I should have stopped at the bar part. That's what I get for talking too much." he said hopelessly and left the laundry room as well.


	14. More Bad Luck?

It was now 2:45 P.M. Sam and Brigitte had just made it to the beginning of the woods that was inhabiting the dwelling place of the Ferland's. Upon entering the woods, they noted that the unpaved pathway had been covered with thick layers of snow.

"Do you remember which way the road went?" Brigitte asked Sam tiresomely.

"I can't say that I'm sure." he said winded out also.

"This doesn't look too good." Brigitte said resting on her knees.

"Don't worry. We'll get there." he rested his back to a tree trunk. Brigitte came off of her knees and sat next to Sam.

"It's cold." she shivered. Sam put his arms around her and brought her close to him. he wanted to take his boots off because of the toe that grew on his ankle. His nails had got much sharper and a tad thicker and his teeth was now longer than they were earlier.

Brigitte nestled closer to Sam to gather warmth. All the while she was resting against him, she began to hope that I wasn't the last time she would ever do that with him.

Sam rested his chin on her head and had hopes for himself as well. He could feel his augmentative condition getting the better of him at times. He had been strong for the time being to not give in to it. At the same time, he wondered how in the world was he to profess his love for Brigitte.

He thought about it over and over again along the way and made up his mind to tell her, but he couldn't say a word because speaking took energy and he would have deprived them both. Seeing that Brigitte was already beaten from the weather he didn't want to laden her with extra thoughts; nonetheless they were good thoughts.

After Brigitte got warm enough, they got up from their resting positions and carried on in their journey. They walked relentlessly in the cold. They traveled another 30 minutes through the snow. Unbeknownst to them, they strayed away from the road that led to the Ferland's and headed in the wrong direction.

Quietness and stillness surrounded them. The winds blew softly yet still chilly. They walked for nearly half an hour and stumbled upon a long slope they had never seen before. "I don't recall seeing this slope." Sam insinuated.

Brigitte looked down the slope and saw rocks covered with snow. "Do you think we're lost?" She asked in a low tone due to her steadily dropping temperature.

"Shit, I hope not." The pair of them stared beyond the white of the snow marked with the dark-brown colors of the trees. It was as empty as looking at a blank piece of paper with a few specks and streaks of graphite. "Let's go the other way." Sam suggested. He held Brigitte's arm in his arm and pulled her to where he was going.

They followed their footprints they way they came and stopped at the tree they rested before. It took the same amount of time to get back there from when they left. "That was a waste of time." Sam said in disappointment.

"Let's try this way." Brigitte suggested next. Sam went to where she tugged him. They walked and walked and walked. Finally, they came across an old redundant shack. "This is wrong." Brigitte said upset. "How far are we in these woods? I don't recall seeing this thing here before."

"Neither do I." Sam reimbursed. They were about to turn and walk away when Sam halted them. "Hold on for a second." he said releasing her arm and walking over to the shack.

"Are you kidding me? Why are you going over there?" Brigitte asked, her face pale. Sam looked at the shack with intensity and beckoned Brigitte to come where he was. Brigitte saw she had no win in this one. She reluctantly walked over to Sam to see why he wanted her.

"Take a look at this." he appointed upon her arrival. Brigitte looked at the walls of the shack carefully. What she saw was scratches in the wall. They were thick and long. Sam could tell that those scratches were made a long time ago because the places where splinters should have formed were long gone.

The wood was damp and rotted. They looked closer at the dark spots that stained the wood and came to recognize it as blood. The windows were boarded up with rotting thick oak. In between the oak they could see through the cracks and saw the atmosphere was dead inside. From what they saw on the inside, they could tell that the shack itself had been built ages ago. Maybe even long before the scratches ever appeared on the door.

Even the latch on the door was made from thick wood bound together by really thick nails and leather that had hardened and cracked. "Well this here is some solid proof that these things have been around for a long time. Which makes me wonder again," Sam spoke, "If they have been around for so long, how was an epidemic of Lycanthropy unable to spread? And if they were all gone from this point in time, then why are there still some around today?" he had more questions that didn't seem to have an answer.

"I don't know." Brigitte replied. "The only thing we can do is make sure that an epidemic doesn't break out. And if it ever does, I hope we come up with some kind of solution that doesn't deplete mankind no matter how much I may not interpret well with them." She said seriously. On the latch, Brigitte spotted something poking out from the crease of the door.

She tugged on it and found that it was well jammed in the door. Sam helped to pry it out. When they were successful in doing so, they examined it thoroughly and came to realize that it was a thick, huge, nail that wasn't that of a bear, a wolf, or no kind of predator in the woods. No, it was a nail like that of a Lycanthrope. The only other difference was it was longer than the wolves of their era.

They exchanged a look at each other. "This doesn't look like this was done recently." Brigitte told Sam. He agreed silently. He took one more look inside through the window.

"I don't think this shack was built recent either. Whoever built it, I think they made it way before our time. Who knows, this could be a place of forgotten legends." Sam concluded. "Come on let's go." he said retiring away from the dreadful and vulgar obstacle. Brigitte put the hard and jagged claw of the late Lycanthrope into her pocket before fawning after him.

Once again they followed their footprints to where they had come from and tried another direction. Brigitte's feet were hurting and sweating inside of her boots. Sam's urge of wanting to disembowel something kept rebounding more often. And continuously, he had to keep exonerating himself from those kind of thoughts.

They walked feverishly for a long time and came across yet another slope. They stood at the edge. Instead of seeing jagged rocks, they saw that there was a smooth frozen surface down below. Discouraged, they turned to retrace their tracks. Since they weren't walking hand in hand, Brigitte stepped on loose soil and lost her footing. She slid down the ice and Sam heard her Shriek.

"Brigitte!" he called after her as she slid down. What was thought to have been a frozen surface was actually the frozen surface of a lake. The kinetic energy she gathered from sliding caused the ice to crack upon impact.

Sam ran down carefully to where she was. Brigitte slowly moved to a position where she was on all fours. The small cracks stretched longer causing her to be afraid to move a muscle since the ice she fell on became hazardous. "Sam. Help." she said in a timid whisper.

"Try not to move Brigitte, I'm almost there." he said softly. When he reached her, he stuck out his hand for her to grab it. She stayed in cat pose shaking nervously. "Come on Brigitte, give me your hand." Sam said stretching his hand out further. When Brigitte went to grab for his hand, the ice gave way and she fell through. Without a thought, Sam jumped in after her.

The water was so cold that it seemed to have frozen Brigitte's already frozen limbs. When she tried to move her arms to swim, the water seemed to cut into her like razors. Sam didn't have as many problems with the cold and swam down to her.

Brigitte was sinking further into the darkness down below. Sam had to hurry and try to get a hold of her before she sank deeper. After what seemed like forever, he managed to grip her by her forearm. He held on tight. Brigitte's lost of oxygen motivated Sam to swim faster as he saw air bubbles being formed rapidly. They made it back to the shallow part of the water and under the hole in the ice.

Finally, Sam's head surfaced alongside Brigitte's. The moment their heads were above the surface, Brigitte let out a cry of pain. Sam lifted her out of the crystal blue water and onto a more steady part of the ice before himself. Once he got himself out, he scooped Brigitte into his arms. He swept Brigitte's raven black hair from her face and saw how pale she was and that she was in shock from the piercing cold. Sam picked her up and laid her over his shoulders. Brigitte could barely grip Sam to hold on to him. Sam was cold also but not as cold as Brigitte.

"Hold on Brigitte." he said though a rough voice and clenched teeth. He gripped Brigitte tightly and sauntered swiftly her over to the edge of the lake.

She was trembling awfully bad. So bad, she couldn't speak and it sounded as if she were about to cry. Sam wrapped his arm around her tighter to give her some of the heat he had left. He carried her up the slope, ignoring the sharp pains the cold had caused him.

Brigitte was breathing loudly like she had run a league without rest or water. Sam had to get her warm again or else she would die of hypothermia. The only other place he could think of was that old shack they had run into earlier. He hated the fact that it took away from their time like everything else.

He was beginning to think that interference was as inevitability. He walked quickly. He didn't care about the snow that was on the ground. The only thing he had in his mind was getting Brigitte warm again.

From the momentum Brigitte allowed him to build, it took almost no time for him to reach the derelict. Though the wood was rotten, it was still too broad for him to kick through it. Brigitte was slipping from his grip. He tossed her over his shoulder again to get a better grip. He used the latch of the door to get it opened.

It wouldn't be opened so easily because it hadn't been opened for a very long time. As he lifted on the latch, he used his unoccupied shoulder to force the door in. When it gave way, he rushed Brigitte inside.

The floor was messy and littered with things like rusted pots, thrown over chairs and broken glass, snow that made it's way in through the windows, and a gun that wasn't even used in the modern times; a rusty axe, long knives and an overthrown table that looked like the inhabitants that used to live there used it for a shield.

Sam lied Brigitte down in front of the fireplace. The smell inside was awful. It smelled like piles of damp, molded towels mixed in with the scent of burnt wood and mildew with the exception of rusty metal. He bore with it and looked for a way to start a fire.

"Is there ever a disaster that doesn't have our name written on it?" he said low and to himself, out of breath. "I'd love to see the day to where we can just go on without trouble and catastrophe tapping on our fucking shoulders every fucking step of the way." he seethed to himself.

He looked over in the far corner and saw rocks sprawled on the floor. He scrambled over to them as fast as he could. The rocks were literally stone cold. He hit them together one time and sparks were created from the strike as they were flint rocks.

He brought them over to the fire place where there was old and decrepit hay. He hit the rocks together and let the sparks fall onto the shriveled and derelict hay. When smoke became visible, he blew on the hay to encourage fire.

A flame was soon burning and he brought Brigitte over to the barely heated area. He got up for a moment to break some wood off of the old table. The leg on it was really thick so he used the axe on the side to hack it off. After his success, he tossed it in the fireplace as well.

The fire wasn't catching on fast enough. He knew he had to use something flammable to ignite a higher flame. The first thing that came to mind was the perfume he received from Bridget at the motel. He took that out of his inside jacket pocket and took the lid off. He didn't want to use too much because he had better plans for it.

He doused enough of the flammable fumes on the wood and the fire immediately reacted to it and grew bigger. He put the bottle back inside the safe place in his jacket.

As the fire increased, the domain they were in warmed up to an extent to where Brigitte was able to feel the heat from the fire. Sam laid her head in his arm and her back was resting in his lap. Sam used his right arm to cover Brigitte's shoulder.

As the fire thawed out Brigitte's frozen limbs, her face became luminous with life and the comfort of Sam's arms was so secure about her. She didn't try to, but she soon fell asleep. Walking miles upon miles for hours and hours took a bigger toll on her than she thought.

Sam didn't want her to fall asleep yet because they had to get to the Ferland's. If he dragged her out now, then there was no guarantee that she wouldn't faint from all of the exhaustion. Reluctantly, he allowed her to rest. He assured himself that he would wakes her up in the next 20 minutes or so.

Not far off, the female wolf had arrived in the town where Sam and Brigitte currently were. The sun was setting by the time she reached the place. She had been traveling all night through the storm and was successful through her long trek. She would not rest until Sam had become her mated pair and Brigitte was dead.

Trailing behind her was the male wolf who had the same intent as the female. Both driven by determination and bitterness. They were getting closer and closer to their intended mates and they absolutely refused to give up any time to waste.

Unfortunately for Sam and Brigitte, they were stuck in a rock and a hard place. Time didn't seem to be on their side and the many encounters that they've faced made sure of it.


	15. Sam and Brigitte Argue The Wolf Attacks

Sam saw the dim skies reflect gold. It was sunset. In the winter, it got darker a lot faster. "Brigitte." he called softly, shaking her gently. "Brigitte wake up." he said again soft.

She stirred only a little. Before he could try another attempt to awaken her, Ginger's apparition appeared where they were. "You don't look so good Sam." she began out of the blue. Sam was startled at her untimely visit.

"What do you want Ginger?" he asked, not in the mood of being bothered.

"I came to tell you that you're running out of time and fast. For you that is."

"I know that." he rolled his eyes and said nonchalant.

"So what are you going to do about it? Sit here and wait until a map falls in your lap that leads you to the cure?" She mocked.

"Right now is not the time Ginger. I don't want to talk to you right now." he said firm.

"Oh, it is the right time. But you're out of that aren't you?" she snickered. Sam ignored her. "The wolves are hot on your tails. They're getting closer. Can't you feel it?" she said in a low formidable tone.

Sam had a sharp feeling in his gut and it didn't feel good at all. "How long will it take before they reach us?" he asked seriously.

"It depends. If you can wake Brigitte up and skedaddle out of here, you might make it to where you have to be. Then again, You're running out of time." she reiterated.

"I know we're running out of time." he said agitated.

"I'm not talking about the both of you, know-it-all. I was talking about you. You're changing. I know you're fighting with yourself to stay as sane as possible. But it's all going to be for not if you don't do something about it." she teased.

"I am going to do something about it. As soon as we get out of here." he said low as not to wake Brigitte.

"Let me ask you a question Sam. How long are you going to keep running from them? You can't out run them forever. They've been after you guys for so long that they can track you down instantly. If you want those thing out of your life for good, then listen when I say this: You're a quarter of the way to becoming a full wolf and there can only be one alpha and one omega. Which one are you?" she disappeared after she got her words across.

Sam took in what she just said and thought her words over. Soon, Brigitte's eyes opened. The sun was barely in the sky anymore. "Oh my gosh, how long have I been sleeping!" she rushed to her feet.

"Not too long. But we have to move, Ginger just told me that the wolves were close by. I don't know how close but I'm not going to stick around to find out."

Brigitte took a second to wipe the sleep from her eyes and focused on what she had to do. She and Sam headed out of the shack. They didn't have the time to put the fire out so they left it burning. They ventured back out into the great unknown. They found the spot where they originated and began again in a different direction.

It was then when they summed that the woods they were in were bigger than they thought. The only hopes they had of finding the place again was running into something that looked slightly familiar. Once again, they had traveled in the wrong direction.

Sam was getting very frustrated. He was beginning to forget how far away the place actually was. He would have used the sky as a map, but the sky were covered up by thick gray snow clouds and the trees helped to block out any image that could be projected from the sky.

"Stop." he told Brigitte after thy had been walking another long while. He looked around them. The woods were darkened by the oncoming night. Nothing seemed to be alive in the woods except for them. The only other thing he saw was the heat from his breath clouding up in the air. "This is getting on my fucking nerves." he cursed harshly.

"Why did you want us to stop?" Brigitte wanted to know.

"Because we're walking and walking for long periods of time and it's getting us nowhere!" he yelled. "That blizzard threw us completely off. If it had have waited for a least a day or two we wouldn't be jammed in this bullshit!"

"Well we can't tell the blizzard to correct it's mistakes! The only other choice we do have is to keep walking!" Brigitte yelled.

"Walking where Brigitte?! We're in the middle of nowhere and nothing is out here except for us! I say we go back and start over at the beginning of these damn trees!"

"You want us to go all the way back there?! That could take hours!" she yelled at him.

"Yeah well it's better than being stuck out here not knowing where the hell we're going! We've been wasting out time here and found nothing but an old shack, a lake that's probably not on a map; two slopes and none of them are what we're looking for!"

"I know that! There's a lot of footprints up there and who's to say that we don't choose the wrong path to follow?! We've traveled in other directions starting from the same spot! If you ask me, we pretty much fucked ourselves over!"

"So you're just going to walk?! Walk into the middle of another mishap that's bound to happen?! I wouldn't be surprised if we took a turn in here and a bolt of lightning from out of nowhere strikes one of us down!"

"We just have to keep trying!"

"Trying for what Brigitte?! What are we trying for?! If you ask me, the only thing it looks like we're trying is trying to get tangled up in this god forsaken place!"

Brigitte felt some kind of rage in her that she hadn't felt for anyone else. "Are you changing your mind about this Sam?! If you are, then I'll be more than happy to leave you to yourself!" she shoved him out of her way.

"I didn't say I was Changing my mind! All I'm saying is, we need to stop and think about what we're doing!" he caught her by the shoulders to keep her from walking away from him.

"Get off of me!" she threw his hands off. "I didn't want to say this Sam, but you've been acting like a bitch lately and that's not you! What is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing is wrong with me! But I think some of Drew's stupidity might have rubbed off on you and now you can't understand what I'm trying to tell you!" he hit below the belt. The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain on his left cheek. Brigitte slapped him as hard as she could.

"If you don't get it together Sam, you won't have to worry about me understanding you! And how dare you use Drew as an object to insult my intelligence! I'm every bit as smart as you are and right now, you're just acting stupid!" she yelled back.

Sam held the side of his face where Brigitte slapped him. He couldn't believe that she had just slapped him across the face. He was so stunned that he missed what Brigitte told him. "So you're resulting to violence now? What, nothing is going your way so you decide to hit me?! Let me tell you one goddamn thing, you should have been pissed off a long time ago when this kind of shit happened before!" he yelled at her.

"I was already upset! But I think Lycanthropy has you so fucked up that your attitude surpasses mine by miles!"

Sam and Brigitte had been so preoccupied in their argument they didn't notice it getting darker and darker by the minute.

Back at the hotel

Drew had been like a watchdog spying on Bridget's every move. When she got hungry enough she joined him to the deli where they ate and traded a few insults here and there. It was dark out and Todd was just getting the lights back on.

Bridget was in the office with Heather. "I'm not going to stick around here any longer, it's not like anyone's going to check in or check out." Bridget complained. "I wish I could go home right about now, but I'm stuck here in this dump."

"Better here than out there." Heather said as she sat all the way back in the chair behind the front desk.

"What time is it?" Bridget asked.

Heather looked at the clock hanging on the pale yellow wall. "It's 30 minutes after 7. Do you have something you need to do? Like going through other people's stuff?"

"Why can't you ever mind your own business?" Bridgette asked aggravated.

"Take your own advice you little hypocrite. You're telling me to mind my own business yet you're sneaking around in other people's room. Just because you work here doesn't exactly entitle you to invade personal affairs, am I right?"

"When did you become so big on wisdom? Besides, they haven't been back here since this morning." she pondered where they could have gone.

"They didn't sign out so I'll have to say that they'll be back here soon. They're going to have to pay extra because they said they were going to be here for two days. Yesterday was one day and this is another. It's going into the third day and they didn't sign out. Even the car is still here." she pointed out.

"Everyone's car is still here because they can't go anywhere. We have to wait until the streets are opened again before anyone can take a ride anywhere. And don't pull that hypocrite stuff off with me because I know you're just dying to know what kind of stuff they have." she tempted Heather.

Heather was trying to fight the feeling as long a she could. The feeling was too strong for her to overcome so she gave in to her impulse. "Alright fine."

"Good. But do me one little favor." Bridget asked nicely.

"It's not a hard job is it?" she dropped her eyes lids halfway.

"Only if you're a person with low tolerance. Now, I need you to distract Drew somehow."

"Okay, I have tolerance but that man has proven to be intolerant." she said disgustedly.

]

"I just need you to babysit him for me. I want to know why these people are so strange and why they're cooking up fairytale stories. I at least need to make sure they aren't smuggling any drugs in here or something." she ended leaving out of the door.

She wasn't able to get a few steps away from the office when Drew startled her. "Hey!" he yelled. He was standing on the side of the door which was a blind spot to someone coming out..

"Idiot!" she yelled while she held her chest. Her heart beating from the sudden outburst.

"Didn't think I was watching anymore did you? Tell me, why are you so desperate to find out about Sam and Brigitte?" he interrogated.

"After your wacked out story, I'm guessing you guys are on a great deal of drugs. I saw the dark circles under Sam's eyes this morning and that doesn't appear on a healthy person." she came up with a reason.

"I can assure you 100% that none of us is doing any kind of drug." he held his hands up in defense.

"Is that so? Because when I mentioned something about the police yesterday, you went into defensive mode. Almost like you were afraid that they were going to find you." she speculated,

"That may be true, but drugs has nothing to do with it?" he admitted.

"Then why were you so afraid that the cops would show up. You can't tell me it's because you're a thief because you told me you were from another town _and_ that the charges against you weren't pressed. So that leaves one thing. What are you guys hiding? You're all so weird acting."

"That also might be true, but it's for a good reason though, trust me, we don't do drugs." he smiled a smile of innocence.

"I don't believe you." she said going back inside of the office.

"Hey, you said that the Ferland's were weird acting too. Why are we any different?"

"The Ferland's were weird, but you guys put the 'we' in weird." She tried to slam the door on Drew but he caught it. Bridget didn't care, she kept walking to the back.

Drew went to follow her but Heather got his attention. "Excuse me, Drew." she chewed a fresh piece of gum, still mad at what Drew said to her earlier "You're friends said that they were going to stay here for two days and time's up." she informed.

"I'm pretty sure Sam will take care of it when he gets back." he rushed his words, trying to continue to follow Bridget.

"Well he's not back yet and he and his girlfriend has been gone for a long time now. I need to see some cash if you all don't want to be kicked out on your asses." she threatened.

"Look lady, I don't have any cash on me right now. The little I had left I bought some food with it."

"I don't care about the money you had, I care about the money you do have. So pay up." she stuck out her hand.

"No mean to disrespect but lady, are you deaf or something? I said I don't have anything to pay you with." he was getting agitated.

While Heather was rustling some money out of Drew, Bridget went out the back way. She ran into Todd who was just coming back from fixing the lights. "Todd, I see you got the lights back on. Good work." She complimented.

"Thanks. But now I gotta fix that heater in room 11. I didn't do it the last time because the power went out. What's the use of fixing something if it's not going to function?"

"Yeah, well that makes sense. I'm going to leave you to do whatever you have to do, so I'm gonna be on my way." she pointed to the direction she was going to before she left. Todd nodded and got back to his work which was on that side of the lot.

Bridget ran around to the front of the motel and sped across the lot to the room where Brigitte was staying. She looked from side to side and behind her to make sure Drew wasn't watching. She took the spare key to the room and opened the door and closed it behind her.

She placed the key in her pocket and turned on the lights. She began to loiter about the room. The bed was left unkempt and she noticed that the lamp that was on the nightstand was gone. In it's place she saw a cup filled with dark red liquid.

As she came closer to it, she smelled an odor. It didn't take her long to realize that it was blood. "Oh this girl I sick." she spoke through a gagging voice. She went over to the window and opened it to let some of the odor from the day-old blood leak out.

The moment she did that, the winds carried off the scent. The female caught the heavy scent and followed it tenaciously. The smell of the blood was carried with Brigitte's scent since it was in her room.

Bridget continued to roam around until her wandering led her to the bathroom. She looked in the tub and saw the broken lamp pieces there. "I don't know if she's a drug addict or psychotic."

Meanwhile, Drew and Heather were still going at it. "Not only are you nosy, but you're money hungry too? That's a bad combination."

"My combination helps me to attract good customers because I don't help to house murderers or crooks."

"I think your combination needs a little more work because it didn't help this time." he shot back.

"Are you saying that you're a crook?" she put her hands on her hips.

"No I didn't say I was a crook! And I'm not a crook! I'm just saying, if you could attracted good customers, then why does most good customers spend the night at a hotel instead of this motel? I'll tell you why,because they are willing to pay to sleep somewhere that's worth sleeping. To be honest with you, I wouldn't brag about this place if I were you." he mouthed.

"That's it! You're outta here! I don't care if you have money or not! If you're going to insult my place of business, then you're not welcomed here no way! Now out with you!"

"Alright, alright. I'll...I'm sure Sam and Brigitte will pay you as soon as they get back. I'll be on my way okay." he turned around and left and began whistling 'Send Me on My Way'. As soon as he was outside of the door, Heather shook her head.

Upon having a rush of cold air blown upon his face, he saw that the lights in Brigitte's room were on. "Bridget you naughty girl." he walked over to the room and avoided the slippery spot where Bridget almost fell.

Bridget was going through the drawers of the room. She saw no spare clothes, no suitcases or anything to show for being in the room. "This is too weird." she scratched her head. She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard Drew come in.

"I knew I'd find you in here." he smirked. He came in the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

"You have some really freaky friends." she said grossed out.

"Freaky?" he squinted his eyes.

"Yes freaky! For crying out loud there's blood in this cup and your crazy friend broke a lamp in the tub! That's property of this motel!" she screeched.

"Oh, about that, Brigitte was telling me something about bleeding Sam out." he said low.

"Bleeding him out! Is she insane?!"

"From what I know of Brigitte, I can't really say. But I do knew she did that for a good reason. She told me so this morning. If she had something to hide, I don't think she would have told me anything." he increased the volume of his voice.

"But why is this cup full of blood?! Was she going to drink it or something?! If not, then why didn't she dump it out?! It smells awful!"

"Listen, everything that's going on now has something to do with what I told you earlier. You know, about the wolves and stuff."

"Don't give me that make-believe shit! I don't think a werewolf had anything to do with bleeding someone out! By the way, last night was a full moon and I didn't hear any wolves howling last night."

"That's just it. Thy told me it wasn't the kind of werewolf you turn into and turn back human. They said once you turn, you'll never go back to being who you were. That's why they're all the way out here to look for someone who can help them stay who they are." he tried to get his point across.

Bridget stood there with her arms folded. "You guys need to find someone who can help you. Like the asylum, for instance."

"You still don't believe me, do you?" he dropped his arms by his side.

"Are you expecting me to?! Do you know how stupid...let me rephrase, _stupider _ you sound?"

"Why do have to keep treating me like I'm nothing! I know I've had a lot of people in the past the called me immature, but woman you take the cake!" he got fed up.

"And I know I've dated a lot of dumb guys in my life, but dude, you take the entire buffet." she insulted him.

"Ooh! Ooh! I just wanna...strangle you right now!" he blew.

"Go ahead and try! You can't even get a grip on real life! How do you suppose you'll get a grip on my neck?!" she argued back.

While they were arguing, Todd had just finished the heater of room 11. He placed his tools back in the box and rubbed his hands together to warm them up. Soon, he heard snow crunching. He looked around and saw no one there. He went to grab his tool set but heard the crunching noise again, this time faster.

"Hello?" he called out, wondering who would be running about in the middle of the freezing night. He paid the noise no mind. He grabbed his tools and began walking. Once again, he heard the noise of the snow.

"Heather? Bridget?" he called to see if it was one of them. There was no reply. No reply other than a loud snarl. A snarl that had a likeness to a lion however more sinister. The sound sent chills down the man's spine. He dropped the tools and started running.

The crunching of the snow followed closed behind and he could hear heavy breathing and another loud snarl, but louder. He was almost to the door that lead into the back of the office. Before he could reach the knob of the door, the terrible beast bit him by the shirt and slung him away from the door.

When he opened his eyes from the impact, he saw the gruesome beast face to face. He was so scared by the sight, he was nearly paralyzed. "Heather! Heather help me! Heather help! Help me please!" he yelled as loud as he could. He tried to scramble to his feet but the beast brought it's heavy paw down on his back and dug it's nails into his skin.

He screamed loudly. Then wolf then bit off the back of his neck. The wolf's jaws crushed down on the bone making a loud gristle sound. The wolf left the man dead, blood staining the snow.

Now Heather was able to hear him calling for her so she grabbed her jacket and went out towards the back. "I don't know why on earth this man is calling me. It's not like I can help him fix a damn thing." she said to herself.

She opened the back door and looked out there for Todd. She stepped outside and called out to him. "Hey Todd! Todd!" Her face soon turned cold as ice. Not because of the wind, but because of the sight she saw. "Oh dear God." she said barely audible.

From the side of her, she heard the beast snarling. She turned and looked at the huge and disfigured creature. It growled loud and harsh and she darted back inside. She was so scarred she didn't think to shut the door all they way.

She ran to the front of the office and out the front door as fast as she could. She knew Bridget was in Brigitte's room snooping so that's where she ran to. When she was halfway across the lot, she slipped in the ice on the ground and landed backward, hard on her head.

She was hurt badly. The impact she received from her head caused her nose to bleed. She was able to hear Bridget and Drew arguing. The sound was immediately drowned out when she heard the snarling of the beast. She moaned in pain as she attempted to move. "_help...me_" she said small and weak.

The wolf bit down on shoulder and dragged her away. She gave a loud cry as the beast dragged her on the side of the car that was parked next to Sam and Brigitte's. The wolf bit off her entire face and gutted the poor woman. A huge puddle of blood rolled underneath the cars and trickled like a stream through the snow. The wolf devoured her insides as she was hungry from her long pursuit of Brigitte and Sam.

Bridget and Drew ceased their arguing to see what the noise was. They looked out and saw nothing. "What was that?" Bridget asked, standing behind Drew who was looking out of the doorway.

"I don't know. I don't see anything." he said scanning the lot. He went back inside and shut the door. He didn't say anything because he was thinking about what could have made that sound outside.

"As you were." Bridget got his attention so they would resume their argument.

"Where was I?" he said in a daze.

"You know what, forget it! You can't even take an argument serious!" she scolded him across the arm.

"Hey, ouch. That really– **hurts**." he rubbed his arm.

"That's the beginning. I have more from where that came." she assured him.

"I think I can take it. You're a girl so you have to hit like a girl." he teased.

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean anything! I can beat up a joke like you." she hit him again.

"Enough with the hitting already! Hit me again and I'll think you just might like me." he smiled a lustful smile.

"In my nightmares." she rolled her eyes and unfolded her arms. She was walking toward the door when it was burst in by the female wolf.

Bridge screamed a loud scream and stumbled backwards. Drew joined her by a single loud yell. The wolf's mouth was stained with blood. She showed Bridget and Drew all of her teeth when she roared at them. Bridget and Drew's only way out was through the door the wolf was standing in front of.

Like lightning, Drew and Bridget ran to the only place in the room that would probably hold off the beast. That was the bathroom. Drew and Bridget pushed their weight against the door to keep the beast from coming in.

The Lycanthrope charged at the bathroom door and used her head as a battering ram. One charge sent Drew and Bridget away from the door. They got back up quickly and put their weight on the door again. The beast continuously charged at the door over and over again. She charged until at last, she was able to burst a hole through the wooden door. "Shit!" Drew yelled.

Through the hole, the wolf was able to spot skin and she went for it. It turned out to be Bridget's arm. She bit it hard. Bridget yelled a deafening scream as the wolf brought it's powerful jaws on her arm. "Bridget!" Drew grabbed her by the shoulder to take her arm from the beast's mouth.

Little did he know, he was only making the pain worst for Bridget. Nevertheless, the wolf proved to be stronger. She tugged hard on Bridget's arm until her shoulder snatched from Drew's arm. Her entire arm and shoulder was through the hole of the door.

Tears flowed down the side of her cheeks as she screamed. "Drew help me! Help me!" she cried. Drew tried to bring her back through the door but the wolf wouldn't let go. She could feel her ulna crushing from the pressure of the wolf's teeth.

Then the wolf seemed to stop pulling, but she was still biting. Bridget was able to come back a few inches. Drew thought the wolf was getting tired of pulling. As it turned out, the wolf allowed Bridget to go back some so she could pull harder and force her through the door.

Bridget was snatched hard like a huge object trying to be forced through tiny bars. The many impacts to the door made the side of her head bleed. She was still crying loudly in pain. Blood was dripping off of her arm and onto the beast's mouth which flowed off and dripped onto the floor.

The many impacts to the door made a bigger crack and the hole in the door got bigger. It let Bridget go back further than the rest of the times. Drew was grabbing on Bridget's waist to keep the wolf from tugging her through.

The wolf gave one last and powerful tug that the both of them flew through the bathroom door. Drew landed on top of Bridget's back. Since Drew was on top, the wolf bit down on his side. Drew yelled in agony.

The wolf slung him back and forth in her mouth. He had his hands stretched out and it knocked the blood in the cup off of the nightstand. The blood spewed all over the floor. Bridget was hurt badly. She rolled onto her back and Saw Drew needed help from the beast. She got up and went to the bathroom and grabbed a shard of the broken lamp from the tub. She found the biggest piece and went back in the room and plunged it in the wolf's side. The wolf let go of her grip of Drew and turned to Bridget with anger in her pale blue and outlined by red eyes.

Bridget went to make a run for the door but the wolf caught her by the ankle and twisted it. She dragged her back in the room and threw her against the wall. Drew got up holding his bleeding side. He saw the wolf go for Bridget. He made himself get up with the help of the nightstand.

The wolf charged at Bridget and bit her shoulder. Bridget tried to fight the beast off of her but she wouldn't let go. "Get off me! Get off me! Get off me!" She was kicking and screaming hysterically trying to break free.

Drew ran over to the T.V and knocked it off of it's stand. He snatched the cord from the back of the T.V exposing the bare copper wires. He left the other end plugged so it may produced some electricity. It was a good thing it had been snowing because some of the ice melted against the creatures warm body, making it a good conductor for the electricity.

He placed the wire on the beast's body and an electric current went though her. She let go of Bridget's shoulder and Bridget crawled from underneath the beast. The blood from Sam was also a conducting factor as the wolf had her hind paw in it. The electric shock was strong enough that it short circuited the lights in the motel room.

It was dark inside but there was light emitted in the room from the outside. Drew grabbed Bridget's hand and limped away from the beast as fast as possible. As they ran across the lot to get to the office area, they saw Heather's mutilated corpse.

Bridget screamed at the sight and cried in grief. Drew couldn't help but lament with her. "Oh my G..." he didn't have time to say what he was going to say as the wolf had recovered from the electric shock. She was in the doorway when she roared a mighty roar.

The roar was loud enough to spike curiosity to the people who were staying there also De pulled Bridget along to the office area. Drew grabbed the waiting bench from against the wall and placed it in front of the door.

Bridget was crying not only from the pain, but because she lost Heather. She slid her back against the wall with the trim of her jacket between her teeth. She cooed in a squeaky whimper.

On the outside, a man from one of the rooms came out to inspect what was going on. He was standing in the red zone when the wolf caught sight of him. He tried to run back inside but she caught him by lunging herself onto his back. She clawed him with her nails the same way she did Todd. She ripped him to shreds only because she wanted to.

Wen he was dead, she left him bleeding in the door way and made her way to where Bridget and Drew had gone.

Drew turned off the lights and got Bridget from the floor and brought her to the laundry room in the back. He closed that door and put a chair under the knob and slid the ironing table in front of it. He went over to Bridget and brought her to the darkest corner of the room.

He sat them down and hushed Bridget of her whimpering. He held her close. It was quiet enough for them to hear the wolf trying to break in from the front of the office. They cringed in fear, praying that that thing wouldn't find them. Bridget held on to Drew's jacket with all of her might.

Then lowly under her trembling breath she asked, "Why did you have to turn off the lights? I'm scared." she trembled and sniffled.

"One thing about being a thief, you don't want the lights to be on because people can see your silhouette through the window. If there's no light, there's no silhouette or shadows." he explained in a whisper.

Immediately after they ended their conversation, they heard glass breaking from the front of the office. They knew the wolf gave up on the door and used the window instead. She sought out two more editions for her kill before she continued to find Sam and Brigitte. She smelled the blood from them leading to the back of the room.

There was no light coming in from under the door so they didn't see any shadows, like Drew said. The only thing they heard was the breath of the creature and it's nails scratching the door. After that, it began to hit it's large head against the door.

Bridget and Drew held onto each other tighter and tighter each time the door was struck against the head of the wolf. Bridget did her best to keep from crying. Drew felt like crying too. Not because they were cornered, but because he understood that he was going to turn into one of those things like Brigitte and Sam said. And he agreed that they were indeed big and ugly.

The wolf got the door opened by a crack. Bridget and Drew's hair stood up. Bridget nearly peed on herself from the frightening predicament she and Drew found themselves in. All of a sudden, the wolf stopped charging at the door; the breathing canceled. And for a while, nothing else was heard.

Bridget and Drew looked at each other. "Do you like me now that we're in a nightmare?" he whispered seriously.

Bridget was too shaken up to think about anything insulting. She was very happy that Drew was around to save her life. Unlike Heather who was left to fend for herself. Bridget tried to restrain from crying but the urge to cry was too strong.

She squealed and then inhaled deeply. The tears were coming down faster along with mucus from her nose. Drew held her solemnly. "So Heather was your best friend huh?" he whispered still.

Through her vulgar and uneven breathing, she managed to say, "She...was my...cousin." she fought through her swollen throat. Drew felt really awful for her and held her closer and rested his chin on her head.

"I'm sorry." was all he said. They stayed there without moving a muscle for the fear of the beast coming back unexpectedly. They sat there, engulfed in pain from their wounds.


	16. Wolf Vs Wolf

Somewhere in the woods

"We have two choices," Sam started off, out of breath from arguing. "One, we either go back and find the footprints that leads to the beginning of the woods. Or two, we keep walking and fucking walking until we can't walk anymore!"

"Are you done?" Brigitte asked in a dull tone with her arms folded. "If you are, you can go back to the beginning of the woods and I'll find my way." she said angrily. Putting aside the fact that the circles under his eyes and gotten bigger and darker.

"Fine! Do that." Sam said turning in the opposite direction.

Brigitte watched him as he trotted through the snow. She went ahead and began walking as well. She really didn't want to leave Sam like that. If Ginger told her that he needed her to stay himself, then why was she leaving? That was the question she was asking herself. But she was so mad at him she didn't care what he did. She continued to walk in her direction and Sam walked in his.

After a few minutes of walking, Sam realized something. He and Brigitte were traveling in two different directions and it could take a long time before they could get back to each other. He cared for her so much that if anything happened, he wouldn't want to be miles away from her.

He rolled his eyes and took a deep breath and turned around. He didn't walk, but he ran back the direction he came from.

Brigitte made her way through the woods aimlessly. She kept straight ahead with no turns. She heard a few creaks and cracks in the woods over yonder, not far from where she was. She stopped and listened to see if she could hear anything threatening.

She heard the creaks and cracks again and some crunching of the snow. She looked to where the sounds were coming from and saw a deer with her two fawns. They looked at Brigitte with curiosity and she looked back.

The mother deer allowed for her two children to go before her and she pushed them on ahead. If the deer hadn't have been with her two children, Brigitte might have gone over to the deer and slaughtered it for food. But seeing the two children brought some humanity back into her thoughts. She continued to walk.

It was really dark in the woods. She could barely see a foot away from her. She saw objects and couldn't make them out until she was up close enough. The main senses she relied on was her sense of smell and hearing. She hearkened in the silence and heard more snow crunching behind her.

"Brigitte!" Sam called out to her. In a way she was happy to see him, but she was still upset with him.

"Are you lost?" she asked, not expecting to see him so soon.

"Look, I would have gladly gone back to the start of the woods, but I can't leave you out here alone, It's too dangerous." he said calmer.

"I've been on my own for four years I think I can handle myself." she said with malice.

Sam knew Brigitte was still upset with him so he proceeded cautiously. "I don't have any doubt that you can handle yourself. You just have to remember in the last four years you were being chased by a wolf that didn't want to kill you. This time is different because now there's a wolf that wants to. If I leave you here alone and that thing just so happens to show up, I won't be in range of helping you." he said hypothetically.

Brigitte looked at him with a plain face. "You're not thinking straight. This Lycanthropy has thrown you off somewhere in the head."

"I know that already. I have a lot of impulse and I don't know how to control it." he said furious however melancholic. Brigitte could see the worry on his face. She wasn't going to be too hard on him.

"Even if we go back to the beginning of the woods,how do you know we wont get lost again? How will we know the results won't be the same?" she asked softer.

"That's the problem. I know that going back there is a good idea, but I can't seem to say why. It's like I'm no longer occupying my mind alone." he stressed to her.

"We'll find out what to do. Just hold on a little longer." she looked into his eyes, seeing that the corner of them looked more like a wolf and not of a human. Before they could move a muscle, they heard the howling of the werewolf.

The sound made Brigitte grab onto Sam's arm tightly. "They found us." she said in a chilling whisper. Sam and Brigitte looked about frantically, hoping they wouldn't see the wolf. They chose a random direction and began to walk. They didn't care where as long as they were getting away from them.

Sam realized that having Brigitte with him was dangerous. His hearing was better than Brigitte's at that point so he used that to his advantage. He walked them away from the wolf as he heard it coming near to where they were.

He knew that the wolf was going to follow their scent the way they came in so he would be able to circle around her before she could notice them.

Just as he predicted, the female wolf followed the fresh scent to the rightmost part of the woods. Sam and Brigitte were running in the leftmost part. Sam then shifted in directions and was leading them back to the shack.

Brigitte wasn't paying attention to where he was taking them, as long as they were moving away. Sam hurried Brigitte along with him. upon seeing the same shack, Brigitte squinted her eyes. "Why are we coming back here?" she asked while she was running.

"We're not." he replied.

"Then why are we here?"

"For your sake." he pushed her ahead of him.

"What do you mean for my sake?" she asked slowing down.

"Brigitte! Right now we don't have time to debate. I have a theory of how to keep you safe and I'm sticking with it." he said stern. He grabbed her by her shoulders and began to push her into the shack.

Brigitte knew what was going through Sam's mind and she wasn't going to allow it. She strained from going into the shack but Sam was too strong. He pushed her through the door. He was about to shut her but Brigitte kept the door from being closed.

"Sam you are not going out there alone!" she yelled out of fear.

"I have to Brigitte! I can't risk you being with me!" he yelled as they fought over the door.

Brigitte did her best to keep from allowing Sam to go on his own. Sam knew Brigitte wasn't going to cooperate. Even if he did get the door closed, she would come back out again. He allowed her to win the fight over the door. "I am not going to let you do this alone!" she yelled, nearly in tears.

"You have to let me do this Brigitte! There's no other way around it!" he grabbed both side of her face.

She looked into his eyes and he saw tears welling up inside. "The last time I let you go out alone I thought you died. I can't let that happen again." she said through a lumped throat. She had succumbed to the feeling of crying and tears flowed down her cheeks freely.

"But I didn't." he began low. "I promise this time is going to be different. If I'm not back, I want you to leave and finish what we started."

"Will you not talk like that?!" she yelled at hm. "You're not going to die and I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!"

"That's not what I'm talking about Brigitte." he spoke in an ominous voice. "I meant, I if don't come back as me, I want you to finish what we started." he spoke on terms of his Lycanthropy. His explanation didn't sit too well with Brigitte.

Sam could read her expression easily. Her face showed him that she wasn't ready to strike up a dirge for him. "Listen to me, Brigitte. I care about you lot. You know that right? I wouldn't let anything hurt you." he sensed out to her, cuffing her head on each side, close to his. "If I have to keep you here to make sure you stay alive , then I have to do it.

There's no reason why we should both go out there and risk getting ourselves killed. If that happens, everything we've done would have been in vain. That thing is out there and it's probably on it's way here."

"I can't do that Sam?" Brigitte whimpered. "I can't do it. I can't stay here." she wept louder. Sam felt that sharp feeling in his gut. Since he was turning, he had gained a new sense and that was sensing danger nearby.

He looked at Brigitte hard. He bit his lip before speaking again. "Stay here Brigitte." he reiterated.

"I can't do that Sam! I can help, just don't leave here by yourself!" she was afraid to lose him again. He was the only thing left she had to hold onto from her past and she wasn't ready to let go.

Sam knew she wasn't going to give in so easily. There was nothing he could say that would convince her to stay. Out of impulse, he kissed Brigitte passionately for a while. She held him tightly and kissed him back.

"Don't take this the wrong way Brigitte." Sam said a little above a whisper. Brigitte soon felt something like knives enter the side of he neck. Sam bit a nervous point in her neck. It sent an instant dizziness to her head. Before she knew it, she was seeing black.

She blacked out in Sam's arm. "Sorry Brigitte." he whispered. He picked her up and laid her down on the bed. He used the blood that flowed from her neck and rubbed himself with it. On his hands, his jacket, his face, throughout his hair, and down his neck.

Afterward, he took off her jacket and slung it over his shoulders and gathered some more blood with that. He then took the perfume from his inside coat pocket and sprayed her repeatedly as fast as he could.

The strong aroma overpowered Brigitte's usual scent. That was a good thing. He covered her with an old and thick blanket that looked to be made out of bear fur. He left the shack as soon as his work was done.

The moment he stepped outside, he heard the moaning coming from the beast. She wasn't that far off. He tied Brigitte's bloody jacket around him and ran away from the shack. He was allowing the wind from his velocity to flail the smell of Brigitte.

A few minutes later, the wolf followed the scent that led to the shack where Sam left Brigitte. She didn't go beyond the door of the shack because the scent was thrown off by the smell of perfume. But she did pick up on the scent that went in the direction where Sam left to.

Sam had been running for a while. He slowed down to catch his breath. He leaned up against a tree and took deep inhale breaths. He began walking briskly in the path that led him to the lake. It was going to take a while for him to get there but he was patient enough. He didn't know why, but he actually liked traveling through the woods at night. It was as if it was a part of his nature to do that.

The female followed close behind. The scent of Brigitte was strong and clear and she sought to end Brigitte's life once and for all. Little did she know, she was following Sam alone. His plan had worked.

It took Sam an estimate of 30 minutes to reach the lake again. In that time, the female wolf caught up with him half way. Sam got dizzy and fell to the ground. He grimaced in pain as his spinal cord stretched and made crackling sounds.

Sweat rolled off of his forehead as he battled hard with his transformation. He wasn't going to give in just of yet, he still had a sane mind and he was going to use every bit of it. He forced himself to his feet again. When he stood, his legs went numb. The blood that flowed through his veins became hotter and hotter.

He took his jacket off to relieve himself of some of the heat. All he had now was his long light-gray sweater and a dark blue button-down, long sleeve shirt underneath. He moaned and Grimaced in pain again. His rib cage widened by a few centimeters. The stretching of his bones were painful. "This is just my luck." he said tiresome.

Now that he was at the lake, he sat down in front of it with his back turned to it, looking out into the dark woods. Waiting for the wolf to show up. His vision was switching from color to monochrome every few seconds. Apart from wishing that he wasn't turning, he wished that he had a cigarette.

He sat there, and he waited in the silence. For a long time the only thing heard was the howling wind. Sam's nose began to bleed again. His blood was darker red this time. So dark that it appeared to be black.

He wiped that away and sniffled. Before long, he heard the female wolf approaching him. Soon after that, her big white, wrinkly face emerged out of the dark shadows of the woods. She came out growling, expecting to see Brigitte. "It's about time you showed your face you big, ugly son of a bitch." Sam said low once he saw her clearly.

She looked at Sam and saw that it was just him. She could smell that Sam's scent was still the same, meaning that he had not obtained a mated pair.

Sam rose up slowly and walked backwards cautiously onto the ice. The wolf gingerly strolled over to him. It was too dark to determine where Brigitte had fallen in the ice earlier so Sam was looking for a new weak point in the ice so he continued to move backward slowly. He wasn't really afraid of the beast, just irritated that she showed up.

The wolf let out gruff sounds, but not harsh. Both she and Sam retained a steady gait. He kept his eye on her and didn't look away. He tried not to make any sharp movements. The wolf got steadily closer to him. He could see blood staining the beasts mouth. He knew it wasn't Brigitte's because he didn't smell a hint of the perfume he used on her.

He figured that maybe the wolf dropped by the motel and caused carnage and mayhem before she made her way there. Sam was now standing on top of the deep area of the lake. The wolf was walking steadily. All of a sudden she moved quickly as if she was about to attack.

Her sudden movement made Sam stumble backward. He nearly slipped, but he caught his balance. In doing so, the ice cracked from underneath him. He pressed down on the ice with his weight to make the crack bigger and the ice weaker.

Water began to seep between the crack and thaw the ice above. When the she-wolf walked on the crack, more water began to seep through. Sam knew that certain spot would give in at any time so he had to find a way to keep her there.

He stopped moving backward and began to move to the side, leading the beast in a circle. With each step on the ice, it became more flaccid than before.

While Sam was dealing with her, Brigitte had awakened from her fainting spell. She looked around and tried to make out where she was. The last thing she could recall was feeling Sam's teeth in her neck. The recollection made her jump out of the old bed.

When she was up, she felt that something was missing. She felt her upper body and noted her jacket was missing. She also noted a strong smell of perfume lingering about. It smelled like the perfume Bridget sprayed on Drew earlier that day.

She realized Sam must have gone back inside of the office building to get the perfume. It made her mad to know Sam had been planning in taking on the wolf alone from the start. She didn't care how cold it was out there, she was going to look for him. She sped over to the door and swung it opened.

When she was outside, she looked on the ground to see which way Sam had gone. She became horrified when she saw that his footsteps were mixed in with wolf paws. She could smell the scent of the other female.

She went to follow the prints when she heard something moving behind her. She rotated her head rather slowly, hoping not to see anything other than a deer. She first saw frost being emitted into the air from heavy breathing. When she turned all the way around, her eyes opened wide.

She saw the face of the male wolf standing behind her from afar. "Oh shit." she whispered. After a few seconds of looking into his eyes, he charged after her. Brigitte took off running as fast as she could. Her heart was beating fast and she panted loudly.

Since she didn't have time to look down and follow Sam's footprints, she followed the faint smell he and the female wolf left behind. As she ran, shadows from the trees washed over and vanished only to be replaced with new shadows.

Brigitte didn't want to think about how far the male was behind her. She kept running and didn't look back. The male wolf was following close behind in full force. Brigitte could feel how close he was behind her. The fear she felt made her run even faster, despite the snow on the ground.

Once, the wolf came caught up so close that Brigitte's heart was about to burst. "Sam! Sam!" she screamed loudly as if death itself had a hold on her. "Sam!" she called again, running for her life. She knew the wolf wouldn't kill her, but she knew that he might have been mad at the fact that she tried to kill him not too long ago.

Sam was still taking his time to weaken the ice. Although Brigitte wasn't close by, her screaming traveled a long way. Sam and the female looked in that direction. "Brigitte." he whispered in concern. Sam looked at the female and knew that she intended to forget about him and pursue Brigitte.

Just as he expected, she turned and went to go after Brigitte. "No!" Sam yelled out and jumped on her back. He wrestled with the female for a minute before the ice finally gave way and they both slipped in together. Underneath, Sam was above the beast, trying to push her down in the water. Her resilience wouldn't allow him to do that. She just kept swimming upward. So he stopped doing what he was doing and swam down under the creature and grabbed her by the tail instead.

During the time they were under the water, Brigitte had come that way quickly because she was running so fast. The scent of Sam and the wolf ended there. She couldn't stop to see if Sam was around so she ran around the lake and up onto the slope where she slipped the last time. The male was hot on her tail.

Under the water, Sam pulled the wolf by the tail to an area of the water where the ice covered the top, away from the hole where she could resurface. It was hard with her long hind legs constantly kicking, but he managed. When he was successful with that, he swam over to the hole and surfaced.

He pulled himself out onto the thick ice just seconds after Brigitte fled. He was able to hear the female wolf scratching below the ice, trying to break free . "That'll do." he said in a regular trembling tone. He was soaked to the bone.

He caught the scent of the perfume he sprayed on Brigitte and the scent of the male wolf. Just smelling the wolf made Sam angry. He forgot that he was freezing and growled in anger. He ran where Brigitte and the wolf had gone and left the female wolf to drown.

Brigitte's legs were worn after running a league and then some. Her breath was short and she had to catch it. Her momentum slowed which allowed the male to catch up with her. He caught up so much that he charged and hit her in the back with his head. The hit thrust her off of her feet.

She rolled in the snow after she was knocked down and stopped on her stomach. She was breathing hard and loud. She tried to get back up but the wolf chomped down on her leg and threw her against a tree. Her rib cage endured the harsh impact. He grabbed her by the leg and did the same thing again. The male wolf was trying to immobilize her so she wouldn't run away again.

When he ha done that numerous of times, he stopped. Brigitte held onto her aching side with her right arm and her upper left thigh with her left arm. She whimpered low, wondering where Sam was when she needed him. The wolf's heavy breathing caused her to cancel her thoughts. She felt his hot and heavy breath laced with pheromone. He rubbed against her and licked her face. Brigitte didn't have anything to defend herself with other than a stone that was on the side of her.

She picked it up and hit the wolf in the head with it as hard as she could. The moment she hit him she rolled from under him. The wolf jerked back quickly and then caught Brigitte on her calf. Brigitte screamed a torturous scream.

She tried to fight her way out of his mouth but he refused to let go of his grip. The wolf lifted her body with his jaws and slammed her down hard. Once again she tried to scramble away but he wouldn't let her get an inch away from him. He pressed down on her back with his left front paw and hovered over her.

Brigitte felt his heavy breathing in her ear and trembled. She froze in the position she was in. She took a moment to scan the part of the woods that was in front of her. She didn't hear or see any sign of nothing else but the wolf and herself.

Just when she was wondering what became of Sam, she heard him call her name. "Brigitte!" he said, on the other side of her. His voice caught the attention of the male wolf. When the wolf laid eyes on Sam, he was immediately filled with a malice toward him.

Sam had just as much malice for the wolf than he had for him. The wolf released Brigitte from his laden paw to turn toward Sam. Brigitte could breath better once she was released.

Sam, with dark circles under his eyes, exchanged a devious look with the male wolf. The wolf growled as loud as he could as to intimidate Sam. Brigitte got up to a sitting position, holding the side of her ribs. "Sam, you have to run." she said winded out.

"I'm not running this time. I'm sick and tired of running!" he said roughly. A tone that Brigitte had never heard from him before. Sam stood where he was and the male did the Same. Soon, as if they were in a fighting arena, they began to circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move. The wolf sent multiple intimidating howls and Sam showed no sign of intimidation whatsoever.

After a few more seconds of waiting each other out, the wolf charged at Sam and leaped into the air to pounce him. Sam moved out of the way in time. When the wolf landed on his feet, Sam grabbed the wolf by the neck with his arms and began chocking him.

Brigitte couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sam was actually fighting with the wolf with no use of a weapon. She got up in an attempt to help but Ginger's apparition appeared in front of her. "Stay out of it Brigitte! This is Sam's fight." She said seriously.

"I need to help him!" she yelled horrifically.

"He's a big boy Brigitte, I'm sure he doesn't need your help. One of them has to prove to be the Alpha dog. It's a wolf-thing."

"You expect me to stand here and do nothing?! Just watch him get hurt?!"

"If you interfere B, you're the one who's going to get hurt. You see, their testosterone level are way up there and they're not thinking straight. The only thing that's on their minds right now is murder. If you get in between that B, you can kiss your life goody bye.

This is a dog-eat-dog world. Someone has to come out the victor in the end. The question is, who will it be? I advise you to stay put and hope that Sam wins this battle." she said earnest, firm and sincere.

Brigitte looked on as the wolf had rushed Sam into a tree, breaking out of the choke-hold. She reluctantly stood where she was. The fight was intense. The wolf bit Sam's shoulder and Sam bit the wolf on the back of the neck.

The wolf then let go of Sam's arm and knocked him to the side with the side of his big hairy face. Sam landed on his back and the wolf ran over him and tried to strike him in the neck to kill him. Sam caught his upper lip with his right hand and the wolf's lower lip with his left. He pushed the wolf's face back away from his. The wolf put some more of his weight into his face to fight again Sam's force.

Sam used that to his advantage and kicked the wolf as hard as he could on his weightless hind leg. Sam's hit was so hard that he broke the wolf's hind leg. The wolf Jerked back and Sam used his long nails and scratched the wolf in the face.

The wolf bagged off some, trying to heal. Sam wouldn't allow it. Sam tackled the wolf down to the ground. Brigitte could see nothing but pure anger in Sam's wolf-like eyes. He didn't even have a human look in his eyes anymore.

When Sam got the wolf down, he got on top of him and scratched up the wolf's face. The wolf's white fur in his face became red from the blood. Only a few patches of hair was left white. The wolf caught Sam's hand with his jaw and attempted to bite it off.

Although Sam grimaced in pain, he didn't care about it. The only thing that was going through his mind was the thrill of maiming a living thing. While Sam's left hand was between the beasts fangs, he used his other hand and tugged on the wolf's ear.

After much strain, Sam was successful in ripping off the wolf's entire ear. The wolf growled in pain. It used his paw and scratched Sam across the chest. Sam punched the wolf across the face. When the wolf's leg was healed enough, he rolled over to get Sam off of him.

When he did, he ended up on top of Sam again. Once again, he tried to strike Sam in the neck with his jaws. Sam moved his entire head to the side, evading the wolf's jaws. The wolf tried it again and Sam moved again and again and again.

Sam used both of his feet, and kicked the wolf in the mid section, thrusting him off. Sam didn't waste a moment to breath, he immediately got up again and tackled the wolf against a tree.

Brigitte's heart was beating as fast as she had been running. She was so nervous her nerves were ill-at-ease. She continued to watch the bloodied up figures rip into each other.

Sam bashed the wolf's head against the tree trunk. The blood from where the wolf's ear used to be stained the tree with his blood. The wolf used his paw and hit Sam in the leg, fracturing it. Sam yelled in pain but it didn't keep him down. Sam hit the wolf across the face again with his fist.

To Brigitte, it seemed as if Sam got just as angry when the wolf struck back. It seemed to strike some kind of nerve in which Sam took his anger out on the wolf.

After Sam hit him across the face, the wolf attacked Sam's fractured leg and pulled him off of his feet. Sam landed on his back and the wolf dragged him. The wolf swung Sam by the leg until Sam was off the ground. He released his leg and sent him flying in the air toward Brigitte.

Brigitte jumped out of the way and Sam hit the trunk of a tree and slid down with his back against it. His eyes were squinted from the pain. The wolf ran toward Sam and Sam rolled out of the way and let the wolf hit his head on the tree.

Sam then hit the wolf on the side of his neck with the flat part of his boot. He hit him again in the face with the heel of his boot. The face-beaten wolf went after Sam while he was still on the ground. Sam rolled out of the way and onto his back.

The wolf caught Sam by the side and lifted him the same as Brigitte. Sam used his elbow and elbowed the wolf in the eye. He dropped Sam on the ground and whimpered like an injured dog. Sam's fractured leg was no longer fractured so he was able to stand with no problem. When the wolf turned his back to Sam, Sam stood up and grabbed him by the tail.

To Brigitte's amazement, Sam had so much adrenaline rushing through him that it strengthened him enough to pick the wolf up by the tail and throw him over his shoulder. The wolf came down with a hard thud.

Sam still had a grip on his tail and lifted him again and slammed him against a tree and again on top of a rock. Everything that had been on Sam's mind, every bit of of anger or malice he had bottled up exploded out of him.

Sam was feeling better and better with each blow. The wolf was wounded badly. Sam grabbed his hind leg with both hands and slammed the wolf's leg onto his knee, snapping it in two. The wolf let out an unearthly cry of pain. It was music to Sam's ears. He did the same thing with the other leg and the wolf let out another cry.

Sam was going to do the same thing with his two front legs. He sauntered mischievously to where his front legs were. When he gripped it, the wolf brought Sam's arm down to his mouth and bit his arm as hard as possible.

Sam struck the wolf in the face multiple times but he held onto his arm. Sam stopped hitting the wolf in the face and grabbed the wolf by the upper lip and pulled upward. He used the arm that was on the inside of his mouth and pulled downward.

He forced the wolf's mouth opened. When he did get his mouth opened, Sam continued to stretch his mouth in both directions. The wolf was trying to close his mouth again. Sam used more force and continued to push and pull.

When the wolf's jaw muscled cramped from the force, Sam broke the wolf's jaw muscle. The breakage sounded like gristle and bone breaking all at once. The wolf's jaw was left hanging wide opened. The wolf could no longer close his mouth. He rolled over onto his stomach, unable to go anywhere because Sam broke his hind legs.

Sam walked over to the wolf in a sinister slow pace. He took his foot and kicked the wolf back over onto his back. Brigitte, who was looking from beginning to end, was flabbergasted. She didn't know how or what to think about the situation. She gaped as Sam trotted like a predator over downed prey.

When Sam got the wolf back in it's back, he knelt down by the wolf's side. He grabbed the wolf's tonged and gripped it tight. He held onto it for a few seconds before ripping his entire tongue from his mouth and out of his throat.

Sam stood up and dropped the bloody 3 ½ foot tongue on the ground like a piece of sirloin. He kicked the wolf back over onto it's stomach. The wolf whimpered tiresomely. Gravity pulled the lower jaw downward and left it hanging as if it was hanging by a string. A thin stream of blood flowed out of the wolf's mouth like a miniature red waterfall.

Sam continued to dismember the wolf, starting with his other ear. Brigitte could see that Sam was torturing the wolf before he killed him. "Sam that's enough! Just finish him off!" Brigitte begged.

Sam gave no reply. Not even so much a sign of him hearing her. Sam walked behind the wolf and gripped his tail. "Sam stop! Please!" she pleaded with him again. Once again Sam gave no reply. He didn't seem to know his name was Sam anymore.

He wrapped the tail around his fist as if he was rolling up a cord and pulled as hard as he could. He pulled the tail so hard and with all of hi might, that he pulled it out along with the wolf's entire spinal cord from the neck down.

Brigitte was about to go over there and make him stop. Once more, she was cut off by Ginger. "Leave him alone B. He's doing some kind of victory dance. It sounds weird, I know, because it's not actually a dance. By the time he gets through, he might recognize you again. I can't say I'm 100% sure since he did get further in his transformation."

Brigitte took in what Ginger said a first and ignored the rest. She waited until Sam finished mutilating the wolf. Sam turned the just-about-dead wolf on his stomach. The wolf felt like a heap of meat under Sam's foot since the wolf no longer had a spinal cord to uphold his bones in place.

The wolf was already dying, but Sam wanted to see the soul leave his eyes. He drew his arm back and stabbed the wolf in the gut with his elongated nails. The wolf gave one last breath and his nerves canceled. Sam brought out his hand with a handful of the wolf's intestines.

Brigitte's eyes were left wide opened. After Sam dropped the wolf's intestines on the ground, he fell down to his knees in kneeling position and sat there without a sound. He was breathing heavily and in relief. He had gotten one burden off of his shoulders.

Brigitte got up and walked over to him cautiously. Sam sat there like a breathing statue. When Brigitte got close enough, Sam broke out of whatever trance he was in and turned his head to look at her. Blood glistened on his head and all over his shirt and hands.

Brigitte looked deep into his eyes and saw his pupils dilated so much that only a thin trim of his yellow iris was seen. "Stay back Brigitte." he said low and out of breath, turning his gaze to the red snow on the ground. Brigitte paused where she was. Sam was taking a minute to calm himself down.

Brigitte didn't wait long to approach him. he walked over to him slowly and stood behind him. He stayed there and didn't move an inch. Brigitte knelt down behind him and put her arms around him and lied her head on his back.

From his back, Brigitte could hear how loud and fast his heart was pumping and how heavy his breathing was. The first movement Sam made in long time was when he placed his hand on top of Brigitte's.

"Sam, we have to go." she said low and empathetic. She stood up slowly gripping Sam's hand. Sam stayed where he was. Brigitte gave him another tug. "Sam, let's go." she said in the same tone.

"I don't want to go anywhere right now." he said low and soft. "I wanna stay here." he spoke a bit shaken.

"Why? It's cold out here. We have to go back to the shack since there's no other shelter out here. Even if there were, we wouldn't be able to find it out here." she stressed to him.

"I don't want to go back there." he spoke quicker yet still low. Some part of him liked being out in the wild like that. He wasn't thinking in a human sense at the moment. He could barely make out what was going on. Subconsciously, he was speaking out of his head because his mind was transitioning.

Brigitte couldn't understand why he was so reluctant to move. She loosed her grip on his hand and placed both hands on each of his shoulders. "You're not an animal yet Sam. And I can't leave you out here. I'm not leaving until you come with me, okay?" she said slow so he could comprehend with what she was saying.

Her speech registered to Sam slowly but surely. He roused from the ground slowly. Brigitte gripped his hand and began walking him back to the shack. "Don't go that way." Sam said in a subdued tone.

"Why?" Brigitte asked.

"That's the long way. I can smell the perfume still fuming from the shack. It doesn't smell too far off." he said discreetly, walking ahead of Brigitte. She followed close behind, gripping his elbow with both of her hands.

Sam appeared to be out of it. He wasn't himself at all and it was scaring Brigitte more and more. Sam was running out of time and she didn't know what to do about it, nor did she have the serum to try to slow down his metamorphosis.

One thing Brigitte speculated was when Ginger had gotten far in her transformation like that, she began turning rapidly. Sam's transformation seemed to stall for some reason. He was turning however more slow than the usual transition.

In a short while, they reached the shack again. What Brigitte realized was the woods were bigger than they thought. They had been taking the long way all along. Some of the way, they had been walking in circles.


	17. The Whole Truth

Brigitte let Sam enter the shack first. Sam didn't want to be in there because he felt claustrophobic. He turned around to walk back out. Brigitte wouldn't allow him to go back out. She turned him right back around and sat him down on the floor next to the hearth.

She took the flint stones in her hands ad sparked a fire, using some of the rotted wood Sam tore from the table earlier. When she got a fire up, she warmed her hands. She looked on the side of her where Sam sat and saw how dreadful he looked.

She could see clearly that he was literally fighting with himself in his head, sometimes he would cast a gaze of animosity and other times, confusion. His face had gone pale. The only color about him was the circles around his eyes, much like the male wolf he had just killed.

He didn't look at all human in the face except for his cheeks and his lips. His quiet nature was perplexing. What ever he was thinking of, he was thinking long and hard, trying to keep his humanity as much as possible. But the Lycanthropic thoughts proved to be winning the many battles. Soon, it would take over his mind, thus taking hold of his body, thrusting him into a full blown metamorphosis.

For now, Sam shut himself down to keep holding onto the string of his reality.

Brigitte wanted to cry. She craved to save him but she didn't know what else to do. Exsanguinating him was no longer an option. She got up from the hearth and walked over to him. he sat down in front of him. He didn't stir.

She untied her jacket from his waist before she took the bloody gray-sleeved sweater off of him, leaving only his royal blue button-down, long-sleeve shirt. It was just as bloodstained than the gray shirt. Not only with his blood, but the blood from the dead male wolf as well.

Brigitte wanted to thank him, but words couldn't find their way from her lips. She sat the shirt down on the floor and moved to the side of him. She didn't see that Sam's eye dilated more. Sam looked over to Brigitte and Brigitte looked at him.

Without warning, Sam impulsively grabbed Brigitte on each side of her head and brought her face to his. He kissed her just as deep as the other times. Brigitte could feel his sharp teeth on her lips. Brigitte kissed him back. Out of both love and worried that it may be last time she would ever have a moment with him.

Suddenly, Sam's hands moved from the side of her face, one hand moved to her back and his other hand was interlaced in her hair. Brigitte did the same with him. She figured that would be her only chance to share herself with someone she truly loved.

Sam pressed his weight against her and she lied down on her back, allowing him on top of her. Each passing second they went further into their caressing lechery. It was Brigitte's first time and she was fortunate enough for it to have been Sam. A childhood crush from her place of origin.

The very tiresome night was still and cold outside for it was soon to be over. For Sam and Brigitte, they were asleep along with the night. The snow outside began to fall after a whole day of delay. The old snow was covered with new snow. Everything that was alive was still except for the winds that blew soft and eloquently and whistled low.

As time elapsed, the light from the sun broke through the dingy clouds, letting everything know that it was there, in the sky, looking to wake the land of the living and put to rest the land of the dead.

A beacon of light shone through the cracked window of the shack and into Brigitte's eyes. She opened them slowly. Her vision was blurry at first. It then cleared to a more precise perspective. She took a second to take in her surroundings.

She remembered where she was and what transpired the night. She felt a breeze on her bare skin and grabbed her red sweater and put it on. She looked to the side of her and Saw Sam lying on his side with his back turned toward her. He was still human. Even more shocking albeit relieving, She saw his ears were normal. Not pointy nor long at all.

She rubbed her hand on his ear then through his short black hair. She took him by the shoulder and turned him over onto her lap and cradled his head in her arm. None of her movement disturbed him. The dark circles that were around his eyes had gone. His eyebrows were no longer too thick and unkempt. She pulled his bottom lip down and saw that his teeth were normal.

She felt much felicity though she didn't smile; her face stayed neutral with alert eyes. She lifted his hand and saw his nails weren't long anymore. She looked him over thoroughly thereafter. His Lycanthropy had gone in full remission.

Her face was illuminate with joy. She smiled only a bit and caressed the side of his face. She thought about what happened that night and what Sam was telling her about testosterone enabling Lycanthropy.

"So you figured it." Ginger showed up with a disgusted look on her face.

"Testosterone was the problem." she said simply.

"Bravo. You figured another one out yet again." she said sardonic.

"Why are you so on edge?" Brigitte looked at her with disdain.

"I don't know B, Why am I on edge? I'll tell you why. Standing here looking at you two is making me want to puke." she said disgustedly.

Brigitte ignored what she said. "You said that Sam was going to need me for him to stay human. Was this what you were talking about?" she referred the fact she and Sam had intercourse.

"_Please_, I don't want to...fathom that. That's fucking disgusting." she degraded the act, raising her hands in a surrendering position. Brigitte rolled her eyes.

"So what now? Can you tell us how to make it back to the Ferland's?"

"I can't. I don't know my way around the land of the living. That's something for the living to figure out." she said as a matter of fact.

"Okay fine. We're just going to have to figure this out." she sighed.

"I hope you have a plan. You're home free now. The wolves are dead so that gives you all plenty of time to conjure another plan. Though I would be glad if you both found a way to screw yourselves over and you die, at least we'll still have our pact. Together forever B. Never forget that. Oh, and when Sam wakes up, tell him I would have kicked his ass for messing with you."

"He can see you too Ginger. Why don't you tell him for yourself?" Brigitte admonished.

"Right now, I don't want to talk to him, that disgusting pig."

"And I guess I can call Jason McCarty a disgusting pig." Brigitte shot back.

"Think whatever you want B. I'll be around." she said departing words before she went away again.

Brigitte closed her eyes and rolled them under her eyelids. She opened them again and turned her attention toward Sam. He hadn't moved a muscle. He was sleeping like the dead. Brigitte thought that must have come from all of the exhaustion he suffered. More so than the exhaustion she had. Now that Sam's appearance had gone back to normal, she hoped that his state of mind would be normal as well.

Just when she was about to lie Sam back down on the floor, he stirred and raised his hands to his head as if he had a head ache. He didn't open his eyes until a few seconds later, showing his blue-again iris. When he did, he took a minute to adjust to the light.

Brigitte watched as he awakened slowly. He blinked rapidly, his pupil contracted to normal again. When the blur cleared out to a vivid view, he was able to recognize Brigitte head hanging over his. He had a strange look of confusion. "What happened?" he asked low.

"You don't remember?" Brigitte asked with a look of concern.

"I remember some stuff but..." he paused and sat up with both hands cuffing his aching head. He took in the view of the shack they were in. Suddenly, he felt light like a bare feeling. When he realized what had happened, his face became red and sheepish. "Oh god." he whispered quickly. Brigitte's face had gone red also.

Sam was overtaken by what had occurred. He braved up enough to turn toward Brigitte to ask another question. "Did we...?" he trailed off with a look of mortifying wonder albeit hoping it wasn't a wet dream. Brigitte wasn't going to answer his question. She looked the other way so he could figure it out for himself. She grabbed her other clothes and began putting them on as quick as possible.

Soon, she heard Sam let out a huge sigh. "I don't know what else to say other than I didn't turn." Sam said something to take his mind off of how embarrassed he was. At the same time, he was actually glad it happened, therefor he wouldn't have to keep fighting himself over whether or not he should tell Brigitte that he liked her. Surely she must know now.

Brigitte spoke after him. "Whatever happened, it just happened. Like you said, it's a good thing you didn't turn." she said sounding a bit upset.

Sam noticed. He didn't know why. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked abruptly. Brigitte looked like if she would have said something, she would go off on him. He felt intimidated but not enough to keep him from asking again. "Are you upset about something?" he couldn't figure out.

Brigitte had just finished fastening her belt. "You don't remember anything?" she asked with confusion mixed with anger.

Sam didn't know what she was getting at. He lowered his head then raised it again quickly. "I can remember some stuff, but I can't remember some things in detail is what I'm saying." he explained as best as he could. Brigitte blew a breath of exasperation. She grabbed her bloody jacket and walked outside.

Sam didn't know what had gotten into her. He scrambled across the floor for his own things. Brigitte was outside but she didn't go anywhere. She paced in circles, trying to blow off some steam. She didn't know what to think of Sam's response. The fact that he couldn't remember details. She shook her head trying not to get too mad, but she couldn't help it.

After a few minutes, Sam came out of the shack and looked around for her. She came from the other side of the shack quickly. "Let's find out way through these woods and get this over with." she said stern, walking in a hastened pace.

Sam followed not knowing what to make of her so being angry with him for no apparent reason. Brigitte seemed to be walking around aimlessly. Before she was able to walk 3 feet, Sam walked in front of her. "Look Brigitte, whatever it is that's bothering you, can you please tell me?" he asked calmly.

Brigitte folded her arms and looked away from him. "Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" Sam answered her question with a question.

"Was your Lycanthropy that much in control when you chose to do what you did last night." she asked fairly upset.

"Do what? A lot of things happened. What did I possibly do?" he asked, trying to find out why Brigitte was so mad at him.

"You...Your werewolf-self," she corrected her choice of words, "had sex with me last night., and since you can't remember any kind of detail let's me know if it was you in control, I don't think anything would have happened, am I right?" she fumed in a normal tone. She brushed passed Sam and continued to walk.

Sam Smiled and laughed in his throat. He walked backwards and caught Brigitte by the elbow and pulled her in front of him. "Alright, so I proved one thing to you if you call it proof at all. Well, you proved something to me also." he said as a matter of fact.

Brigitte was staring in another direction with with her lips barely tight and her arms folded. Not only out of anger but because it was cold out and she didn't have her really thick coat. Sam continued. "Yeah I might not remember every single thing in detail, but that doesn't mean that I wasn't in control of myself last night because I was...slightly. And I know you would suspect my Lycanthropy playing a part in whatever case scenario. Some parts it did, other parts it didn't." he clarified.

"So what do I prove to you?" she looked at him with intensity.

"Just now, you proved something that I couldn't quite make out for myself. In fact, I thought your Lycanthropy might have had something to do with what was going on the last few days. The fact of whether you liked me or not." he admitted.

"Why didn't you just ask?" she asked dull.

"The same reason you're mad now. If it wasn't your Lycanthropy, then maybe it had something to do with mine. The only thing I could really go of off was that I already liked you Brigitte and Lycanthropy had nothing to do with it for the simple fact I already knew it before I even got infected." He explained as clear as possible.

"You were infected four years ago and we met again days ago." she said, becoming puzzled.

"That may be true, but I'm not talking about a few days ago. I liked you back when we were in Bailey Downs." he finally admitted it.

Brigitte furrowed her brows. "I do recall you telling me directly that you had no interest in me. It was easy to understand with no complications."

Sam laughed in his throat again. "Screw complications, it was a lie." he said abruptly. Now Brigitte was really confused.

"Why would you lie about that?"

"Think about it. Obviously because you were in high school which would put someone in the mind of thinking that you were maybe 16 or older, being that there weren't a lot of bright girls there in my opinion. So naturally, I thought you were 16 or maybe older. When Ginger told me how old you really were, I had to consider the fact that I was 22. According to how rumors were already spread about me being a cherry hound, I don't think I could handle a rumor as far as messing around with an underage girl, you see what I mean?" Sam explicated with no restraint; not a hint of discretion.

That made a lot of sense to Brigitte. It was true. Sam would have gotten into a lot of trouble if someone of higher authority like the police found out if he was trying a 15 year-old. Let alone with him being a suspect in Trina's murder that really wouldn't have looked good on his behalf.

Brigitte felt a blast of wind go through her and her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't believe Sam actually had a crush on her then. Never in a thousand yeas she would have guessed that. Although she way happy and relieved, she gave him somewhat of the benefit of the doubt. "Okay, I get that. So why did you say you couldn't remember what happened last night? Was that a lie too?" she wanted to get to the bottom of it.

"Like I said, I could remember, just not everything." he reiterated.

"So why did you have sex with me. Was it an urge based off of something else other than Lycanthropy? Because you don't seem too sure about the 'details' from before. And trust me, I know how it feels to be attracted to the opposite sex on impulse. Or was it impulse that made you do what you did?" she asked again.

"Well, I'd say maybe a little was impulse. But mostly, mostly, it was my own choice. I remembered you, Brigitte. The only thing I had trouble remembering was if I was human or not. Nothing made sense to me. The only thing that made any kind of sense was you. No matter if I thought I was human or an animal that fact remained. When I woke up this morning, I thought for sure that last night was going to be my last night as myself. I wasn't expecting a quick fix." he explained thoroughly.

"Ginger told me that I might have been able to help. I think she might have been talking about that." she responded to his statement of a quick fix.

"So you knew what was going on with me?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Which reminds me, why were avoiding my questions for so long?" she insinuated.

"What questions?" he asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"The ones when I asked what was going on with you. You kept avoiding them. So now that you have a more sane mind, maybe you can answer it for me, starting with when I asked you; why did anything and everything Drew said or asked upset you?"

"I thought you already knew why." he said with confusion.

"I do. I just want to hear it for myself."

"Okay, I'll tell you if you tell me first." Sam insisted.

Brigitte hesitated before she answered. "I think it was because he was another male wolf so you were feeling jealousy like the other male wolf."

" And that is precisely why I was behaving so erratically." he said simply with ease.

"So why didn't you say that earlier?" she interrogated.

Sam humped his shoulders before answering her question, "I didn't tell you because not all of me was jealous. In actuality, there is no way that I would be remotely jealous of Drew. The whole thought of it was...shocking." he humped his shoulders again. "Besides, I've never had jealousy for anyone. If anything that was really my first time feeling what jealousy was."

"Are you saying you've never been jealous of anyone? In your whole life?" she asked.

"Honestly, with girls flinging themselves at me all day long I never had interest in them. And these last few years, I haven't had time to scout out a relationship. Therefore I never had jealousy." he chuckled at his statement. He got serious again before continuing. "Yeah well, aside from that, you were basically a needle in a hay stack. Nothing or no one else was interesting in Bailey Downs."

Brigitte took that a compliment and smiled internally. "Alright fine." she let Sam off the hook. Thanking everything good that it was Sam who actually liked her and not his Lycanthropy. Sam was thinking the same as well. They were finally on the same page again. "Alright, let's figure a way out of here." Brigitte ordered.

"Good. I know how we can navigate through these woods." Sam informed.

"If you do, then why did we get lost the last hundred times?" she asked with a bit of sarcasm.

"Well like I said before, I wasn't in control of myself all the time." he reiterated.

"What does that have to do with us getting lost?" she asked in perplexity.

"I already had an idea of how to go about it. But my better judgment was replaced with wanderlust." he said while leading Brigitte in the direction he was going. She paused from walking. Sam looked behind him and saw her just standing there with a twisted look.

"Are you meaning to tell me that we got lost because you had wanderlust?" she asked furiously.

"I had no control of myself. It was like you said, impulse. The type that you're really not expecting." he added.

Brigitte shook her head and the pair continued to walk. "So why are we going back the way we came?" Brigitte asked,

"It's a certain spot where we deviated from the road so I'm trying to get us back there so we can go forward." he explained. Brigitte agreed. Though she wondered, how was he going to find the road when they couldn't in the first place. After a moment of thinking, she put the thoughts aside and took Sam's advise of crossing the bridge when they came to it. She had the utmost confidence in Sam since he was in his right mind again.


	18. Alternate Solution

It took about 25 minutes for them to walk back to where they had come in and rested at the tree trunk. Sam stopped and observed carefully. He walked slower, trying to make out the area. "Okay, so we came in through here. So now, I need to figure out where the road is from here." he bit his thumb nail with his fingers under his chin. Brigitte allowed him the time he needed to think things out. At last he sounded with a tone of 'Eureka!'. "Aha! I found it." he walked over to it quickly.

Brigitte furrowed her brows. She walked to where Sam had gone and stood next to him. "How can you tell?" she asked frantically.

"Look at the gap between these trees." he pointed his finger from left to right to demonstrate the width. "You can also see the distance when you look up and down the trees. There's a structured gap between them. They're not clustered together like all of the other ones over there."

Brigitte understood fully where he was coming from. "Good. Hopefully now we can make it there with no more problems." she began walking before Sam. Sam caught up to her and put his arm through hers. They held onto each others arm to keep each other from falling in the snow and to hasten the other along if they needed. "By the way," Brigitte told Sam, "If you feel like you're getting wanderlust, let me know so I can slap some sense into you." she said hypothetically.

"Yeah fine." he agreed. One thing about Brigitte that he absolutely adored was she was different from every other girl he had ever laid eyes on. She liked him and he knew that now. Even though she did, she didn't go goo-goo ga-ga with googly eyes over him. she stayed herself and didn't try to impress him whatsoever.

They walked with Sam inspecting the ground every few seconds to make sure they walked within the width of the road. At times he would look up. Brigitte did the same to give herself certainty. Brigitte and Sam huddled close together to keep some warmth between them because their jackets were too thin compared to thicker coats. The tromped through the newly fallen snow and disrupted the smooth coat with their footprints.

Albeit watching the road width, Sam was thinking about last night about the scuffle with he and the wolf. He was having a lot of trouble really remembering what happened because his human mind seemed to be absent at the time. It felt like a realistic dream to him. The type of dream where you can't tell it from reality.

"You're thinking about something." Brigitte told rather than asked.

"I don't really know if I'm thinking, dreaming, or recollecting." he stressed.

"About?" she inquired.

"Did I really get into a fist fight with the other male wolf last night?" he asked with confusion.

"Those must be one of the few things you can't seem to remember." she reimbursed. Sam nodded. She continued. "It was more like a dog fight to me. I should have known you wouldn't recall that because you weren't yourself in that moment. There was nothing human about you anymore in that fight." she told him.

"What was I like?" he asked softly with curiosity.

"To be frank, you were no different than the wolf you were fighting. The only difference was that you only looked more human."

Sam didn't know what to think of it. "I guess I can say that it's good that it's dealt with and we don't have any more of those things following us." Brigitte nodded her head in agreement. They continued to walk, knowing they would find their way this time.

They walked for a long time. Nearly two hours. So far along the way, they saw familiar sights. Seeing those things was a breath of fresh air. They were a few feet away from the Ferland's when they saw a man with black hair standing just aside from the road with a huge shovel in his hands. His stare of intensity caused Sam sand Brigitte to stop and gaze back at the man.

He let the shovel loose from his grip and it fell over to the ground. He walked over to them rapidly with tall, thick black rain boots on. Sam and Brigitte didn't know whether or not to go the other way or let the man say what he had to say.

When he got near enough, he paused and continued to stare at them. They stared back without blinking. Finally, the man said in a smooth, deep and generous tone. "Have you come for answers?"

Sam and Brigitte exchanged a look of 'do you think this could be the people we were looking for?'. They turned their attention back to the man. Sam sounded with a yeah while Brigitte nodded her head.

"Well then, come this way." he smiled. "You two look like you need some means of comfort." he referred to the blood and bite marks on their shirts.

He wasn't at all surprised at their clothes and Brigitte and Sam picked up on that. "I think he may be Hanson Ferland." Brigitte figured.

"I can smell that he has Lycanthropy but he's still human." Sam said. They both walked cautiously after the man, ready to expect the unexpected.

The man walked them back to his colonial style house. The same they had been to before. The man who they know to be as Hanson Ferland stopped a turned to look at them. "You don't act like the ordinary people I've seen around here. Normally the kind of reactions we would get is hysterics and panicking. As a matter of fact, people would be in such a rush to find answers they'd at least ask who you are to make sure you're the right person. I take it that you're not people persons." he profiled them well.

"Okay so he's shrewd." Brigitte said under her breath. Loud enough so Sam could hear. He agreed silently. They proceeded after the man. He walked up the few steps of his porch and waited for them to catch up at the door.

"You two seem very smart to come all the way out here to find me. I have to tell you after years of waiting for someone to come and seek answers, only one other person ever did. He had turned right in front of us when he did though. I was beginning to think my and Gloria's efforts were all for nothing. Until today that is."

The man was intriguing to them. They didn't exchange words with him just yet because they thought he was rambling on about random things dealing with their situation and other stuff. Sam put aside his inside thoughts. "So you're Hanson Ferland, right?"

"Absolutely." he confirmed. "Come on inside." he welcomed them.

"Actually," Brigitte began, "we can't be here very long. We were just hoping that you would tell us if there was something that could help." he was clear with him.

"Like a cure for what you have?" he wanted to make sure. She nodded.

"How about this. The both of you come inside and I'll tell you whatever it is you need to know. There are some complications to what we can tell you. But since you made it this far, I'm pretty sure it won't be as complicated." he went inside and left the door open for them.

Sam turned his attention to Brigitte as soon as they were left with some privacy. "Let's say for the sake if there was a cure. Why is he still infected?" he sensed out.

"Do you think there might be a stronger more potent serum? Something like what you made?" Brigitte asked low and quickly.

"I don't know. But we're going to find out." he and Brigitte walked through the door of the Ferland's. They didn't see Hanson anywhere. A few seconds later, they heard him coming along with another party. It was a woman who was about Brigitte's height with short white hair.

"Let me introduce Gloria, my wife." He said nicely. She smiled brightly.

It was unknown why, but to Brigitte and Sam, their generosity was okay, however their huge and bright smiles were very weird and it made their skin crawl. They tried their best not to display a look of discomfort. Gloria walked over to them. "Hello, I hear that you're here seeking answers. Didn't think the day would ever come where we could actually help someone with the same problems we had." she spoke nicely.

Sam and Brigitte used all of their power to go with the flow. Gloria continued speaking. "Looks to me like you two had a rough night. I take it that you're well healed and in full power am I right?" she smiled.

Again, Sam and Brigitte was unnerved. "Yeah, full strength." Brigitte replied dull.

Gloria looked down at Brigitte's hand then to Sam's. She gathered that they were a mated couple but weren't married. Though she knew that much, she didn't bring it up in a conversation. "If you will." she said, leading them to a place to sit.

"Like we said, we're not trying to stay here long. We just need to know whatever there is to know and then blow." Sam reiterated Brigitte's words.

"Well," Gloria put her hands together. "I understand that you might be in a hurry but this is a matter of delicate urgency that takes compliance and understanding." she waved her hands at the seat again.

Sam and Brigitte had a look of displeasure. They went ahead and sat down. They felt like that had been invited to a happy land amusement park while trying to deal with dire situations. After they took their seats, Gloria and Hanson sat down across from them.

"Okay this Is a lot better." she settled in. Suddenly, she put a serious face on. "Now, You're here wondering if there is a cure. I can assure you that there is no such thing as of yet, but there is an alternative." she said what Sam and Brigitte already figured. "So. How long have you been infected?" she asked the pair of them.

Brigitte did the talking as if she was there with Ginger. "Four years." she said quickly.

"Four years for the two of you?" Gloria asked.

"We were infected on the same night." Brigitte was more specific.

"It was by the same wolf, correct?" she asked with furrowed brows.

"It was by my sister." she said, not giving her sister the title of 'the wolf'.

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that." she said a tad solemnly; she figured her sister must have turned and died since it would make more sense for her sister to be there with them. She got back to the point quickly. "So the both of you were infected by your sister who turned into a wolf. It's going to sound crazy when I say that's a good thing because the kind of alternative we're giving you works only on one person at a time unless they were bitten or infected by the same wolf."

Her response got very interesting. Brigitte and Sam listened with ears wide open. Hanson carried on where Gloria left off. "These wolves, as we come to understand them as werewolves, are something like no other werewolf imaginable. The fact that you turn and can never go back to being who you were.

This alternative that we're giving you is not the kind to be taking lightly. You agree to the alternative and you're going to have to make some of the hugest sacrifices of your life. Not only as you living on this earth, but being a human being as well. There are going to be a lot of changes. By changes I don't mean minor things that you can easily adjust to. These kind of changes would be converted into something as most Indians would call a blessing from the spirits." he explained.

Sam spoke next, "How could this alternative possibly be a blessing when it wasn't meant for good to begin with?"

"I wonder the exact same thing. How could it be a blessing? No one wants to be no one or nothing else other than who they are now. The thing is, if you want to stay who you are, the choice you make is going to take sacrifices from the pair of you." he said seriously.

"What kind of sacrifices?" Sam asked him.

"That, I cannot tell you. You will have to figure that out on your own. I can't tell you because humans have a way with persuasion. It's not my job to persuade you into thinking it's the right choice to make. I mean, some people would rather die than make sacrifices that will alter their world forever. I'm not for sure if you two are those type of people, so I can't tell you what decision to make. It has to be a decision of purity, wholeheartedly, and untainted certainty." he explained furthermore.

Brigitte asked her question next. "Can you at least tell us where this alternative is?" she asked.

"It depends." Hanson answered.

Sam asked next, "Depends on what?" he asked sensibly.

Gloria answered his question. "It depends on if it's been 20 years since the last ritual was done."

Brigitte and Sam blinked quickly, processing everything they heard. "So when was the last ritual done? Do you know?" Brigitte asked.

Gloria and Hanson looked pensive for a while. They appeared to be adding in their heads. Sam and Brigitte waited patiently for them to finish. "Well," Hanson turned to them once they were through thinking, "It has been about 20 years since Gloria and I sought out a solution. But the question is, did anyone else know about it and make it there already?" he ended ominous.

Gloria spoke after him. "Going off of statistics, the odds are no because no one knows about that place. When we were in your shoes seeking answers, we found that salvation and learned that we were the first people in a very long time to have come across there. It's in a fairly remote place. You won't find it on a map or GPS. Lucky for you, we mapped it out ourselves.

We made several copies so we could pass them down from generation to give them out to people searching for answers." she spoke very clearly.

"So this ritual you speak of," Sam began, "Why does it have to be done every 20 years?"

"We really can't say." Hanson answered. "It's all we've been told ourselves. Speaking of years, it's amazing how you've managed to stay human for so long. I was pretty sure Gloria and I were the only other people who found as many solutions as possible except things began going awry after three years. From your standpoint, I'd say that you guys are very tenacious and determined. All the more reason you deserve to know this information."

"How far away is the place?" Brigitte answered.

Gloria answered her. "It's a few days travel. Then again, there's faster cars nowadays you just might make it there faster than we did." she added.

"I think you all should get cleaned up before you go anywhere else. With a lot of blood on you like that, there's no telling what kind of suspicion you would arouse. Especially since you were attacked by something no one can put into words for another party to understand." Hanson explained.

Sam and Brigitte thought separately. Hanson had a point. Besides, there was no telling what kind of destruction and mayhem the other two wolves left behind. They came to a decision to get themselves together. "Alright fine." Sam agreed.

Gloria looked at them with interest. "You know, you two are some of the oddest people we've ever seen in our lifetime."

"Thanks." Brigitte gratified, taking odd as a compliment. She and Ginger had always chosen to be different from anyone else. Now that Ginger was gone, Sam worked good enough as a surrogate with mutual feelings.

"Alright then." Hanson said getting up. "As soon as you get taken care of, we'll give you everything you need. We've already told you everything you need to know."

"There's something else we need to know." Brigitte added while getting up herself. "The way we found you was by stealing your medical records."

"That's fine with me as long as you found us. I really didn't care too much about going to the hospital anyway. But that is one of the few reasons why we updated our information. Continue." Hanson responded.

"In those hospital records, we read where you were admitted in the hospital from an apparent bear-attack. We have every reason to believe that it wasn't a bear. Was that when you were first infected?"

Hanson was impressed. "You two _are_ smart. I've never seen anyone so young catch on so fast. Nevertheless you are very right. It wasn't a bear. Now I have a question for you two." Hanson paused for a moment. Sam sat up and listened carefully. "What kind of solution are you using to stay sane?" he asked.

Sam didn't understand why he asked them that. "Wouldn't it be some of the same methods you tried in order for you to stay sane?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure there are some similarities. I just want to know how far you've come. Even when Gloria and I were infected for three years, we had Lycanthropic features until we found the alternative. The kind of things we used prolonged and reduced but not as much."

"It's nothing more than a simple mixture of monkshood, alcohol, pure leech anti-coagulation, black orchid Vampira in the blood stream and sunflower seed oil by mouth." Sam answered.

"Black orchids? Where on earth do you find them?" He asked, knowing they were a type of species of plants that were very hard to come by. Especially in Canada.

"I grow them myself." Sam answered simply.

"Oh well, I guess that's one of the many differences. So tell me, why sun flower seed oil by mouth?" He gained interest in Sam's creation short of a cure.

Gloria butted in. "I am certain they don't want to be bothered with anymore questions." she pushed him in the other direction.

"I just wanted to know, that's all." he pouted. Sam and Brigitte thought they landed back in happy land and got unnerved again.

As soon as Hanson walked elsewhere about the house, Gloria turned her attention to Sam and Brigitte. "We have a lot of things to take care of, so you can go to the back and freshen up. I'll go pick you out something to wear." she left them to themselves.

Brigitte spoke to Sam low and firm, "Whatever you do, don't leave me with these people by myself." she said almost as if she was threatening him.

"You don't have to worry about that because I was thinking the same thing." he whispered back. "They're the type of people I can deal with but can't really be around." he explained further. Brigitte agreed.

The Ferland's were really good people, but Sam and Brigitte had a knack for meting people by getting on the wrong foot. The same way they met each other when Sam told Brigitte to scram in pig Latin; the way Brigitte met Ghost and Tyler; even when they met Drew. They have never been the type of people to shake hands and introduce themselves up front. Which is one of the many reasons why they looked at the Ferlands as if something was extremely wrong with them.

Gloria went to her room and picked out a white blouse, blue jean pants; a green button-down shirt and black jeans. Once she selected whatever clothing necessary, she walked back to Sam and Brigitte who were still sanding in the same spot. "Here you go. This should serve you nicely." she smiled. When she saw the lost look on Sam and Brigitte's faces, she bit down on her lips while still smiling and went her separate way.

"I'll change clothes, but I'm going to bathe somewhere other than here. I don't feel right being bare in houses of strangers. It's...freaky." Brigitte informed Sam.

"I fully agree." Sam said following Brigitte to the back.

They went into the same room because they didn't want to get caught by themselves with the Ferland's since it was their house and they could go anywhere they pleased. Sam and Brigitte changed as quick as possible with their backs turned to each other as not to invade the others privacy.

Brigitte couldn't help to look back at Sam. His back was bare and she could see where he had bruises on his spine from where it elongated. The bruises were accompanied by the many scars and slashes he got from his fight with the wolf. Albeit looking badly hurt, he maneuvered as if there was no kind of pain whatsoever. Brigitte took her eyes off of him to finish doing what she had to do. Right after she did that, Sam gave into his impulse to look back at her. He began to wonder where he'd be without her. As he was pensive for a little while, he remembered what it was like. He had no kind of company and he had no one he could relate to. He turned his head back around and gave a small grin as he fastened his belt.

Once Brigitte finished dressing, she noticed something about Sam's scent albeit taking the wolf claw from her other pants. It had changed all of a sudden. He didn't smell the same anymore. And all the while she was thinking that, Sam noticed the same about her. Her scent changed as well.

"So what now?" Sam asked once he was finished dressing.

"Get the map, get Drew, and get to where we have to go." she said dull.

"Sounds good enough for me. But there's no telling if we're going to get sucked into a conversation we can't avoid and have no choice but to sit there and listen." he said with a bit of pessimism.

"Let's hope not because we have to get back to Drew to check on him. I just hope he hasn't gone anywhere or done anything that would get someone infected."

"Good idea." he said pacing quickly to the door. Brigitte followed him out. Before they could reach the end of the hallway, Hanson walked in front of them.

"I have the map for you here. I hope you know how to use one." he said handing it over to Brigitte. Sam hovered over her shoulder to look at the map also.

"This doesn't look too far from where I was headed before." Sam inspected with quizzical brows.

Hanson let out a quick laugh. "You know, I love you guys already." his response caught Brigitte and Sam's attention in a weird kind of way. He continued without paying much attention to their facial expression. "You guys are..I don't know.. amazingly smart. You found out some things that took Gloria and myself forever to figure out in our late twenties and early thirties.

Also because of the fact you don't get people like you out here, you know. You're very discrete. From the looks of it, I take it that you seldom have company other than each other." he rambled on with a huge smile on his face.

Hanson was a sanguineous ole chap who meant no harm at all. Sam and Brigitte tried to see it that way but they seemed to be in another world far away who couldn't speak his language. Once he was finished speaking, Sam was about to say something when Brigitte beat him to the punch. "How do we know when we get there? How can we tell if we're in the right spot?" she inquired.

Hanson folded his arm in a pensive manner. "Hmm, I really can't say. The only thing I can advise you to do is follow the map. I guess you'll know when you know, you know?"

Sam answered his question. "I guess you're right about that." he said in his usual tone. He took in a deep breath through his nose before speaking again. "We have to get out of here." he told Hanson firmly.

"Hold on, wait." he he said in a raspy whisper. "Is there a way we can get into touch with you again? To make sure everything goes alright with you."

"Do you have a pen?" Sam asked simply.

"Sure. Hold on a sec." he paced to the living room. He looked in the drawer of a small dresser that sat in between two arm chairs in front of a double frame window. He pulled out a pen that wrote in blue ink and a small booklet with a few blank pages. He hurried back to where Sam was and handed him the utensils. Sam scribbled down a few numbers and wrote his full name. When he was done with that, he handed it back to Hanson. His eyes glided across the small piece of paper quickly and with ease.

"Alright," he said putting the paper in his pocket, "I'm probably going to call you two to four weeks from now just in case you need some time to take everything in. Depending on what your choice might be." he smiled. "And if I don't call or forget to, which I probably won't, feel free to drop by at any time. Gloria and I don't have company often either. Maybe other than our children every blue moon. But they're all grown up and moved out so it's just us out here. I don't mind speaking about the subject of Lycans to you since we can't say anything to any one else. " he chuckled upon finishing what he had to say.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Sam replied.

"You'll get used to us." Hanson said abruptly. "We're strangers now doesn't mean we're going to be strangers forever. The more you stick around, I'm sure you'll both find that we actually have some common ground." he told them.

Brigitte couldn't hold her question in any more. "Don't you express these kinds of matters with your children?"

"We try." he humped his shoulders in a slow and exasperated manner. "They don't listen to us. Yeah they have their abnormalities and human anomalies, but uh..." he dragged while looking up to the ceiling trying to find the right words to say. When he did, he turned his focus back to them. "Well let's just say they're not as serious as you two are. I tried to teach them how to help other people struggling with Lycanthropy. They made it clear that they wanted no part of it.

They take it for granted you know. They use it as leverage and don't try to address the issue. They give into the impulse of destruction and strictly believe that people who were infected with this cure ought to be happy. I can't understand them and I can't make them understand me." he said seriously disappointed.

While he was speaking about his children, Brigitte couldn't help but to think about Ginger and compare the scenarios. Ginger hadn't taken her serious either nor did she care who or what she mutilated. When she tried to help her, Ginger rejected her help. With those feelings, she could empathize with Hanson. "So your children, where are they now?" she asked later.

"Somewhere behaving like the animals they are. I might be disappointed with them now, but I can't help but to love them."

Sam was catching on to what he was getting at by thinking about who Hanson was in the first place. "So," he paused after he began, "You're looking for proteges to carry on learning about Lycanthropes since your children don't fit the bill." Sam stated more so than he inquired.

"That's exactly right. I love the way you catch on to things. You're really quick learners and I love the way you analyze everything that's going on. I need someone like that." he said seriously and in a language that Brigitte and Sam could understand and relate to. "It would be an honor to work with you two. Gloria and I found a few things about them already. Things such as the way they function and comparing them with ordinary wolves. What we don't know is why there aren't so many of them roaming around and why people don't see them even when they're near. Should it be a normal wolf, they'd come out for everyone to see them. And we know for a fact that they aren't shy creatures by a long shot." he explained more.

Sam reimbursed Hanson's explication. "Have you ever had a wolf stalk you?" he asked.

"No, I can't say that I have. But what difference does it make? Wolves stalk. It's in their nature to stalk. Except when wolves stalk, they eventually come out and attack. With these wolves, they can be nearby and no one manages to see them. Nor do the wolves spring out and attack." he said in a baffling voice.

Brigitte cleared his disarray. "No one sees them because these wolves only attack at night and not that many people go out at night." she spoke rapidly. "It's a major hazard for the ones that do."

"I don't understand." Hanson rubbed his palm against his rugged chin. "Gloria and I were attacked in the daytime. No where near nightfall." he reminisced.

Sam had a question to see if he could link the answer to a plausible explanation. "Where were you when you were attacked?"

"I filmed and photographed animals in the wild and Gloria studied their way of life so naturally, we were in the woods, located in Quebec.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you might have been invading on it's territory?" Sam asked.

"Many times. The only thing I couldn't really wrap my finger around was that Gloria and I survived and the wolf never came back to finish the job. Nor did it attack anyone else in the area where we were attacked."

Brigitte thought for a moment. "Did you ever urinate on the ground in that area?" She asked.

"There was no outhouse out there so didn't really have a choice. So, you're saying that the wolf felt as if we were claiming already claimed territory?" he asked.

"You're the expert on the animals, shouldn't you know?" Brigitte said in a low voice laced with confusion.

"When it comes to animals, I only film them. My passion is filming the wild, Gloria's is learning about the wild. Therefore, I really don't know too much about the way that animals think. And the book we wrote on Lycanthropes, it was all Gloria. She just handed all the credit to me because she was afraid of losing her humility because the book specifically says, 'Base on real life events' or something like that. I didn't mind taking on that burden though the publishing company looked at me as if I had gone mad when they were reading it over for corrections." he said valiantly with no shame.

Sam and Brigitte exchanged a quick look before he spoke. "Um, we have some place to be and we really need to get going."

"Yeah thanks." Brigitte followed up immediately afterward. Brigitte handed the map to Sam and he folded it and placed it in his pocket. She and Sam made a leave for the door when Hanson spoke before they left.

"Don't forget about my offer. Come back at any time okay. I'd love to speak more about Lycanthropes with you." he smiled. His only response was the pair nodding to him then leaving from the porch.

Gloria, who had been listening from the kitchen walked over to Hanson as soon as Sam and Brigitte left. "You've always had a weakness of getting too attached to things. I'm thinking you're getting attached to them." she gave him a beguiling yet flirtatious look.

"I'm trying not to simply because I don't know if they're going to come back. I tried to come off as friendly as possible so they wouldn't think that we were ruthless or careless or anything that is unattractive to anyone."

"But they're not just anyone. They're odd. As a matter of fact, I noticed the perkier I got, the more they seemed distant. And not once did they crack a smile. Not even when we gave them answers. Other youths would be jumping for joy. Very strange don't you think?"

"Yeah strange." he raised on brow. "Do you think they'll come back?" he asked again.

"I'm not sure about that one Hanson. They'll come to a decision. And whatever their decision, it's their choice and we don't have a say in that. In all honesty, I hope they do come back. We'll just have to wait and see what they do. And if they choose the alternative, I hope they're able to prevail." she placed her hand on Hanson's shoulder. He placed his hand on top of hers and they stood there silently.

Sam and Brigitte had already gotten a distance away from the house. They followed their footprints out of there. With much anxiety from the answers they got from the Ferlands, they moved faster than before. "So do you think we should come back?" Sam asked through panting.

"Despite how they're so cheery most of the time, I say we give them a try. Like you said before, two heads are better than one. So if they know things about these wolves that wasn't printed in the books, then we should look into whatever other kind of facts they may have about them." She stressed to him plainly.

"Alright so it's settled. But we have to get ourselves stabilized before we come back here again." he agreed.

The amount of time it took for them to get halfway through the forest was lesser than before. They practically ran out of there. After an hour and a half of jogging and quickened paces, they made it through. Now all they had to do was get back to the motel which wouldn't take long at all. The first time they ventured out, they were moving 4 miles per hour. Since they sped up, they went 7 to 8 miles per hour. Like the last time, they traveled without saying a word until they got to wherever they needed to go.

The difference from yesterday was that snow had covered the entire road. The snow plows that were there the previous day cleared away all of the snow. That was a good sign to Sam and Brigitte. Since the snow had been removed, they would be able to get out of there as soon as they met with Drew again.


	19. Make A Believer Out Of Me

As Sam and Brigitte approached nearer to the motel, from afar, they could hear a commotion going on up there. Their quickened walk progressed into them running to see what was going on.

They meandered the sidewalk that led into the parking lot of the motel. They saw police car after police car and homicide detectives along with homicide photographers scattered throughout the place. A group of people who had been staying there gathered around in a crowd, looking on. Sam and Brigitte exchanged a look of worry.

As they walked closer to the scene, they could hear loud sobbing. They walked up to the scene mindfully without bringing the policeman from their work. Upon seeing clearly what was going on, they saw Bridget clinging onto Drew who had a solemn expression and a hint of pity on his face while speaking with the police. He was brought from his destitution when he saw Sam and Brigitte. "Sam! Brigitte!" he halted his conversation with the police and ran straight to them.

The policeman went over to where Drew went. "Do you know these people?" the policeman asked.

"Yes. I think they can probably explain what happened here better than I can." he informed him.

"Were they here last night when the attack occurred?" he asked to be sure. Drew and the police were exchanging information, Brigitte looked to the side where she saw three body bags that was zipped up to the neck of the victims and blood over the snow next to their rented car.

She tapped Sam on the shoulder and he looked to where she pointed to. He lipped a 'holy shit' when he saw that Heather's face had been bitten off. He was taken out of his flabbergasting bewilderment when the police called for his attention.

"May I have your name sir?" The police asked.

"Samuel McDonald." he replied, still thinking about the way Heather's face was gouged.

"So Brigitte Fitzgerald and Samuel McDonald, would you care to tell me what transpired here last night?" he asked in his macho officer tone.

"We don't know what happened." Brigitte answered. "But we do know what did this and it wasn't any ordinary animal." she said stern.

"What do you mean it wasn't an ordinary animal. All animals are ordinary since they were made to be what they are." he said in a baffling tone.

"If I told you what they were, you'd look at me as if I was crazy." she said stern and audacious.

The police turned and looked at Sam. "And what about you? Do you agree with what she said?" he crossed his arms.

"I agree." he said putting his hands in his pockets.

The policeman looked at them intensely as to intimidate them. Sam and Brigitte didn't budge nor show sign of intimidation. If anything, they looked back at him twice as hard, daring him to believe their statement. "Alright, I'm going to leave you to answer some questions for the detective. Don't go anywhere." he warned. He turned and walked over to the detective a few meters away from where they were.

When the detective got news from the police that there was some people who might be able to help uncover what happened there, he made his way over to them quickly. "Hello, I'm detective Royce Gibbs and I hear you two might know something about what happened here." he spoke casually and professionally.

"What do you think happened here?" Sam asked seriously.

"Well sir, I do believe that there was an animal attack. What kind, I can't say since animals don't bite people's face off beyond recognition. The animal specialists that were down here say they can't identify with what kind of animal did this. The only thing they can conclude is that it may be wolf but there are still a lot of uncertainties. Since we're all at a loss, I was hoping you can help untangle some of the mysteries that are lingering in this case."

"Okay fine." Sam said quickly. "You want to know what kind of animal did this, right? Well this wasn't an ordinary animal. It's wolf but it's not like your everyday wolf that goes goes hunting for deers or whatever the hell it is they eat." he said firm and strong.

"So what kind of wolf do you think it is? Can you describe it for me?" he asked taking out a notepad and pen.

Sam snickered and looked up at the sky for a second. "Of course you know wolves are big and hairy right?"

"Uh hmm." the detective answered his question.

"These things are big and hairy. Not only that, but they were never wolves to begin with." he spoke undoubtedly clear.

The detective wore the expression Brigitte prognosticated. He paused with the pen point pressing down on the pad. "Never wolves to begin with? What kind of preposterous..."

Brigitte cut him off before he could get another word out. "It's not preposterous when you're in our shoes sir. The only reason why your men and no one else here can figure this out is because these aren't ordinary animals. The more you dismiss the possibilities of these not being ordinary animals, you're not going to solve this case. If you don't take our word for it right now, you can consider this case closed and unsolved because you're never going to find any other alternative from what we just told you." she looked at him with an intensity that he had never seen from a woman in all of his years. Sam had the same intense look.

Normally, Detective Gibbs could tell if someone was lying or telling the truth. Everything about Sam and Brigitte was telling the truth to him. But their statement was so odd that he had to dig deeper into asking more questions.

"Okay Ms. Fitzgerald and Mr. McDonald, I understand that you two were staying here at the motel. You were issued to stay here for a night and two days. Would you mind telling me why the extra stay and why you were absent this morning at our arrival?"

"If you're linking this whole thing to us, we got news for you." Sam said in a formidable tone. "We were attacked by the same thing last night ourselves but it wasn't here. We left from here yesterday and were attacked in the woods a few miles down the road. We didn't know anything about this until now. The _only_ thing we know about this whole fucking scenario is what did this. If you're not going to take our word that this is the work of a Lycanthrope, then you're going to find yourself ice skating uphill trying to find answers that aren't there."

"A Lyco...what?" he asked with obvious perplexity.

"A Lycanthrope. You can compare every animal in the world to this scene but you're not going to find a match because this isn't the work of some fucking animal you can find in the street."

"There's no need to get upset sir. I'm just doing my job to get to the bottom of this." he said trying not to get upset.

"That's where we're taking you. To the bottom of this. What did this–wasn't–always–an animal." he said, trying to channel his anger of being annoyed by the sleuth of questions that didn't have a believable answer to them. One thing he learned from Bailey Downs was that he hated being interrogated by the police.

"If it wasn't always an animal, then what was it before?" he asked, trying to piece it together in his mind to where it would make sense.

"Human." Sam answered simply.

"Human?" he asked with suspicion. His eyes darted over to Brigitte and then to Drew. He saw that they didn't stir once. He looked back to Sam. "Let me get this straight. You're saying something similar to a wolf did this but was once human. Are you guys talking about werewolf stuff?"

"Werewolf facts." Sam corrected him. Drew nodded his head rapidly in agreement.

"What have you people been smoking, or taking, or drinking; injecting, or however it is a person lose their sanity." he asked frustratedly.

Sam and Brigitte rolled their eyes. They didn't feel like getting involved with that case. "We haven't done any of those things." Sam assured him. "If you take a look in the snow and look for footprints, you'll find that they don't possess padded paws like wolves. Their feet are relatively small while these prints looks like someone dug their fingers in the snow.

Before you ask anymore questions, we came here in search of someone. We found them and now we're going to leave. Whatever you find here, it has nothing to do with us or any kind of wolf under scrutiny." he made clear.

Detective Gibbs was just about to tell them that he was going to take them into custody when another homicide detective with long, curly dark-brown hair, skin the color of tan and a soft expression on her face, came over to him with some answers she got from a grief-stricken Bridget. "Detective Gibbs," she started off. "I got some more information from Bridget McCall. She says it wasn't like anything she's ever seen. She also says a man named Drew was with her at the time." she spoke professionally fast.

"Oh, that's me." Drew made himself known.

"Could you do me a favor and describe what the animal looked like?" She took out the same kind of notepad as detective Gibbs only hers had something written down.

"It's the same thing I told the policeman over there. It was uh...grayish white with no fur. At least not on it's entire body. It was big like, abnormally big; it's teeth was huge and it snarled like a monster. It looked like a wolf but it wasn't your everyday wolf." he reiterated what had been reiterated again and again by Bridget, Sam, Brigitte, and himself.

The woman looked at the pad and matched his description with Bridget's. "That's odd." she said in disbelief while scratching her head with her pen. "This is a very odd case we have here detective Gibbs. Everything she said he says the same thing. I don't know what this is we have on our hands, but I don't think I have a choice but to believe them." she said.

"Will you believe the fact that it's a werewolf?" Gibbs asked her.

"I don't know what you call it. It might be a new species of animals and maybe they just call them werewolves or something." she tried to make sense of it in her own way.

"Well these people here told me that these things weren't always animals but was in fact human at first." he said, expecting her to become just as flabbergasted as he was.

She looked at the trio with care. They had no regret in their eye or any trace of a facial expression to where they wanted to recant what they said. "So how did you two get involved in all of this?" she asked, trying to dismiss what Gibbs said as it was truly unbelievable.

Sam answered for the millionth time in his opinion. "We came here looking for Someone by the name of Hanson Ferland. There was a blizzard coming this way so we had to find some kind of shelter which was here. Yesterday we got up and continued our trip on foot since the road was completely covered with snow. We got lost in the woods and the same thing that attacked these people is the same thing that attacked us.

We camped out there and finished going to where we needed to go. When we did, we came back here and found about...all of this." he explicated to them with no ramifications.

"So why aren't you scratched up and bleeding like the people we found earlier?" Gibbs asked, referring to Bridget and Drew.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Sam asked losing his patience, "We went out to go to the Ferlands who are people, who have a house, who have clothes, and everything the human needs to survive. With that said, doesn't it strike you that people can borrow and change clothes?

Sometimes people like you are so fucking smart that you're fucking stupid. You're trying to find something that isn't providing enough answers for you so you're doing your best to find things that fit the ordinary category to justify what you do." Sam said, obviously upset.

"Calm down sir, I'm not trying to offend you in any way and I ask the same of you." Gibbs said getting upset also.

"You _are_ offending me. Wanna know how? Because you're insulting my intelligence. I know what these things are. I've handled them first hand. This is your first time hearing about them and you're already dismissing the idea of these things not being anything you read in a fucking story book. You've never seen them before so I expect you not to believe me and I'm not going to tell you what you want to hear.

I meant what I said and I'm sticking by it. I don't care if you put me in front of a million people, my statement will be the same because it is what it is and that's all you need to know from me. I don't give a shit how you handle it or how you want to bend the story to make it conceivable for the public. As long as I know the truth, I don't have to prove a goddamn thing." he got his point across without as stern as possible without raising his voice.

"No you're wrong. You do have something to prove!" Gibbs said, raising his voice a little above the normal tone. "You say you were attacked last night but you show up here in one piece without a limp to show for it! Either you show me something concrete or I'm holding all three of you responsible for what happened here last night since you know more about everything that these thing are and no one else does!" he threatened.

Sam was about to say something else but Brigitte stepped in. "Just so you know, I agree with everything he just said. We'll give you some concrete evidence but it's not going to help anything since you won't accept the possibilities." she said stern and grim. She put her hand on the back of Sam's shoulder and pushed against him, beckoning him to turn around.

When he rotated a full 180°, Brigitte lifted his jacket, then his sweater, then his shirt until his back was showing. The scars on his back were still visible however they had healed. The marks were similar found on the bodies of Todd and Heather only there was no way to tell that he received them that night.

"These scars came from last night?" The female detective said with astonishment. "Those cuts or slashes looks like they've been inflicted weeks, maybe months ago."

Brigitte let his layers of clothes down while speaking. "That's one of the many factors of being a Lycanthrope."

"Alright then," Gibbs began, "with this whole 'werewolf' thing happening last night, I strictly do recall attacks happening on the full moon. Last night was no full moon. It might have been the night before, but it wasn't this night." he sassed them.

That got under Brigitte's skin. "You don't need a fucking full moon to become one of these things. Once you turn you're never going back to being a human." she said harsh.

Gibbs folded his arms again. "What do you think Detective Wilks?" he turned and faced her.

"You know me, I'm all about the truth. These stories are making too much sense without the exception of werewolves. That's what I'm not so sure about. All in all, they seem very adamant on their statement. I have to rule out the fact that they have some kind of mental illness because it's not contagious and all four of these people are stating that this creature was not of the norm.

Better still, these two say they weren't here last night and the other two says they weren't here last night, yet their explaining the same thing. If you ask yourself, how is it that these two see something attack here last night and be matched with the other story. There's not one hole in these stories." she made sense, hardly believing herself.

"Are you saying that you believe the whole werewolf bull?" he asked, surprised that Detective Wilks was taking their side.

"I don't know what it is. All I'm saying is that they gave their story and this is what we got. Everyone else from the police to the Zoologists are saying that this animal in unidentified. Another thing is, why would an animal come out here and bite someone's face off? Even if it was just an ordinary wolf, the jaws wouldn't have been big enough to chomp off an entire face. And from what I've heard, I heard that wolves suffocate their prey before they eat it. The Zoologist from before said there was no sign of suffocation and that the animal did this to kill, not for food. No animal does that Gibbs." she explicated.

Sam looked into the situation and came to a conclusion. "My guess is that detective wilks have more solved cases than you do am I right?" he spoke to Gibbs.

Sam's words drove through Gibbs like a stake as he was right. Detective wilks did have more solved cases than he did. "That's right I do." She answered his question. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Because it looks to me that you're the type of person that consider possibilities. Nothing supernatural as far as I can tell, but enough to take in what we just said." he explained his reasons for asking.

Wilks looked at Gibbs with an impressed smile and he looked at her with a look of displeasure. "Alright believe what you want to, but I know there's no such things as goddamn werewolves." he threw his pad down on the ground and walked away.

Wilks turned back to them. "So, is there anything you might want to recant in your statement before we send in the story of what happened?" she asked kindly.

"No." Brigitte answered. "I don't expect you to believe us either. And if it makes you feel better, just say it was a bear attack." she used the same cover story that was in the Ferland's medical files. She went into her pocket and took out the claw of the Lycanthrope she and Sam found in the woods and handed it over to detective Wilks. "Go and examine if you want. But I guarantee you that you're not going to find the animal that this claw belongs to."

Detective Wilks gazed at the elongated claw with bewildering stupefaction. Once Brigitte handed her the claw, She, Sam and Drew walked away from her and closer to the scene where they were taking the bodies and loading them in the ambulance.

Of course Wilks didn't know how to take that in. She even wondered what kind of creature had nails that big and in that part of Canada. And why would it all of a sudden attack a motel when there were no other reports of seeing the animal by no one else. After a while, she gave up about thinking on it. She put in her pocket and she was going to wait to see what Zoologists and other biologists told her about the thing.

The police escorted everyone else away from the scene and stretched out yellow police tape. The Zoologist were preparing to leave to do some DNA tests of the fibers and frozen saliva extracted from the victims. Other officers were checking the vicinity with police dogs to make sure there were no more dead bodies around.

The police dogs made a complete circle around the building until they made their way around to the front again. When they did, they got a feeling from Sam, Brigitte, and Drew. They disobeyed the policemen that held them on a leash and they began barking at them. It was nothing new to Sam and Brigitte. Drew on the other hand didn't know why they chose to bark at them out of everyone that was there.

The policemen tried to restrain the dogs but they wouldn't listen. They didn't know what had gotten into the dogs. The only choice they had was pulling out a dog whistle to get them to stop. Detective Wilks was making her way over to them to discuss more about what they had seen when the policeman blew into the whistle.

The dogs weren't the only ones affected by the whistle, But Sam, Brigitte, Drew, And Bridget also. At the same time in one swift movement, they all covered their ears and grimaced in pain. The sight caught Wilks's attention. She was wondering why they were all covering their ears and moaning in pain.

Aside from hearing their whimpers, she heard the dogs whimper also. She managed to catch sight of the policemen blowing into the whistle to get the dogs to listen again. When he stopped, the dogs stopped their whining and so did Sam, Brigitte, Drew and Bridget. "What the hell was that?" Sam asked shaking off the pain.

"I don't know. I've never heard anything like it before." Brigitte answered. Brigitte saw Bridget taking her hands from her ears as well. She looked around and saw that no one seemed to hear the sound except for them. She knew then that Bridget had been infected also.

Drew joined in on the comments. "Whatever it was, I hope I don't hear it again."

Detective Wilks couldn't believe what she had just saw. She eased up from them and walked back to the policeman. She stood next to him and whispered in his ear. "Do you mind if I borrow that for a second?" she pointed to the whistle.

"Sorry ma'am, we only use these to train the dogs. It's not to be abused." he denied her access.

"I'm only going to use this for a little while. I'll give it right back I promise." she begged.

"What do you intend to use it for?" he asked.

"A very delicate situation involving this case." was all she said.

The policeman didn't know why, but he handed her the whistle. She took the whistle and gripped in firm as she walked pass the infected individuals and behind one of the cars that was parked in the lot. She held the whistle up to her mouth and watched them through the car window without them seeing her.

She watched them carefully to make sure they couldn't see her. When she gained enough certainty, she blew the whistle. Once again their hands shot to their ears and grimaced in pain. She took the whistle from her mouth quickly and watched on. They brought their hands down from their ears and looked around to see if they could find where the noise was coming from. While they were doing that, detective Wilkes tried it one more time. Again, all of them reacted to the noise. The sight sent chills down her spine and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood up. She knew that they were no ordinary humans as those whistles were designed for dogs to hear only.

She thought about it for a while. Wolves were considered to be in the dog family and werewolves were basically a type of wolf known in folklore. Werewolves are once human and then they turn. So if they were all human, they wouldn't have been able to hear her blow that whistle. Unless...

She waked back over to the police and gave him the whistle back. "Are you alright?" the police asked. "You look like you seen a ghost." he responded to her wide eyes and heavy breathing.

"I'm fine." she said low while looking at Sam and Brigitte in particular. "I'm fine." She repeated before walking over to them.

Sam and Brigitte heard her coming and looked in her direction. Brigitte saw the look on her face was different than before. "It was a dog whistle right?" Brigitte figured out. Sam and Drew turned to listen to the conversation.

Detective Wilkes paused and hear heart rate got faster. "Yeah, how did you know that?" she asked as if she had no idea what Brigitte was talking about.

"Because no one around seemed to hear it except for us and we all have the same thing in common that no one else here has." she explained. "But I think you know that already." Brigitte told her, knowing Wilkes must have seen them react in order for her facial expression to change all of a sudden.

"Yes, I've seen." She came clean. "No human can hear that." she told her.

"No ordinary human." Brigitte corrected her. "So if we're not ordinary, then that must mean that the animal that was here last night wasn't ordinary either." she added.

Detective Wilkes looked over across the lot at Detective Gibbs and saw him speaking with a reporter. "Alright, you've made a believer out of me. I've never seen a human being cringe at the sound of a dog whistle." she paused from speaking to look back at Gibbs. When she saw that he was still in the midst of a conversation, she continued speaking with them. "I'll tell you what. I'm going to go ahead and let you go, but you have to make sure no one sees you go because they're probably thinking about taking you all in for more questioning.

Whatever you said about this, I'm pretty sure you're telling the truth. This dog whistle situation, I'm going to keep it to myself, okay?"

"Is a dog whistle really enough for you to believe us?" Brigitte asked the same question that was on Sam's mind.

"It's out of the category of ordinary isn't it? You didn't see me blow that whistle but you heard it. That's proof enough for me." she assured earnestly.

"Thanks. That's the kind of answer we need." Brigitte gratified. "Drew, go and get the keys." She ordered him. He moved the moment he received her ultimatum. When he left, Brigitte walked up closer to Sam. "Bridget is infected." she told him.

"Yeah, I kind of figured that." he blew a deep breath. "Does this nightmare ever end?" he asked hopelessly.

"We're going to have to make an ending." Brigitte said determined. Sam couldn't have agreed more. She and Sam walked over to Bridget who was sitting down, still grieving over her cousin. She was brought out of her moment of silence when she saw them approaching.

"We have something very important to tell you." Sam began. Bridget sat up and listened. Her eyes red and swollen from crying.

Brigitte began where Sam left off. "The thing that you saw last night was a werewolf." She said blatantly.

"Drew told me it was." she said tired and weak.

"The thing is, you were infected by it and you're going to turn into those things and it's absolutely essential that you come with us." she told her.

"Do I have any other options?" she asked through a barely sane mind.

Sam answered her question. "You can stay here as long as you like, transform and kill everything you see, or commit suicide if you feel you can't bare to transform."

She looked up at the pair of them with watery red eyes. "I'm going to have to think about it." she chocked a bit.

Sam placed his hand on Brigitte's shoulder and pulled her along with him to give Bridget some time to think. Drew made it back with the keys in hand. He handed them over to Sam. They didn't go to the car immediately because the police were still about. If they knew which car was theirs, they'd get pulled over.

Drew saw Bridget still sulking. He sauntered over to her slowly and sat down beside her. "Hey," he began softly, "Are you coming or not?" he paused to give her a chance to answer him. When she didn't, he began speaking again. "You have to make your decision quickly because we have somewhere to go. Sam and Brigitte aren't really bad people. They're a little rough on the edges but they good people. You just have to get to know them; like me. I'm still in the process of getting to know them. It's been good so far."

"Drew," Bridget finally spoke. "My cousin just died and you expect me to hop in the car with a bunch of strangers and go who knows where?" she asked frustratedly.

"If you don't, you have to think about what will happen if you choose to stay here. You're going to transform and even you might do the same thing that wolf did to you last night. You might end up taking the life of someone else's cousin. The thing is, I don't think you'll care when you do because you won't be you to empathize with them." he said softly and understanding.

She looked at him with glistening eyes. She heard the sirens of the ambulance taking Heather, Todd, and the other victim's bodies away. She was held up in one of the hardest decisions in her life. Drew got up and walked over to where Sam and Brigitte were waiting.

"Is she coming or not?" Brigitte asked him.

"I don't know yet. She didn't really give a straight answer." he replied.

Sam heard and commented on it. "If we have to wait two more minutes, We're leaving regardless of what her answer may be." Brigitte agreed. Drew hoped in the back of his mind that she would come along with them.

After two minutes were up, the detectives and police were busy cleaning up the mess and taking phone calls. Detective Wilks was distracting them as long as he could. Sam, Brigitte, and Drew walked to the car and got in quickly. Sam started the car. Drew got in the back and was about to close the door when Bridget told him to wait. He stopped himself from the closing the door and he allowed her in. "Nice enough for you to join us." Drew smiled. She didn't reimburse his comment nor his expression. She just buckled her self up and wiped the remaining tears from her face.

Sam pulled out carefully. "You might want to keep your heads low so we can make it out of here no no hassle." he advised. Everyone did what he said. When he got the car out to the road, he didn't hesitate to look both ways before pulling out. He was slow about doing it so he wouldn't look to be in too much of a hurry.

As soon as they were out on the pavement of the street, Sam accelerated. Drew looked back toward the motel to make sure no one was following them. "I'm glad that's over with." Drew said in relief. "All we did was call the police then they called the health department, who called the detectives, who called the Zoologists, and they stayed there for hours." Drew told all that happened while they were gone.

Sam and Brigitte listened without saying or word or showing any type of expression. Drew continued to speak, "I know now what you mean that you wouldn't want to see those things. Now that I've seen it, I wish I could un-see it. I'm going to have more nightmares tonight." he said low. "So where are we going now?" He asked lastly.

"To find a solution." Brigitte answered plainly.

"You found a cure?" he asked anxiously.

"No. Just an alternative." she answered his question again.

"I hope this alternative is all that it's cracked up to be. I don't think I can handle turning into one of those things. They're ugly." he ended disgustedly.

Afterward, the car fell with silence. Brigitte was thinking about what the Ferlands told them; about sacrifices. She wondered what it was they would have to sacrifice. She was hoping it didn't involve losing a limb like in most sacrificial rituals.

Sam was preparing himself for an answer; should he sacrifice something for the alternative, or should he say no. He too wondered what it was they would be sacrificing.

Drew was pensive about his life and where it was taking him. so many things were happening to him at once and so fast that he could barely keep up. He also wondered how he was going to live with Lycanthropy for the rest of his life. One thing that happened to him that he had yet to realize was that he gained some maturity about himself.

Bridget was still grieving. She was cogitating if she made the right choice of going along with them without saying good-bye to her cousin. At the same time, she was thinking about everything she was leaving behind to go along with some people she barely knew. The only other image that kept popping up in her head other than Heather's mutilated face was the face of the beast that caused the destruction.

While Brigitte was thinking about the alternative, she couldn't help but feel for Bridget. She knew all too well what she was feeling. She knew it was going to take her a while to come around so she wasn't going to try to cheer her up. Not that she was good with cheering people up anyway.

Though the car was silent, the thoughts were very loud to each individual. Heavy sacrifices had already been made. Now it was time for Sam and Brigitte to figure out if they should sacrifices even more. Which ever which way they went, they knew they would make the right decision. They trusted themselves enough since they had gotten that far.


	20. What Does The Future Hold?

They drove straight to where Sam left the rambler without stopping any where else. Sam, Bridget and Drew got out of the car. Brigitte changed from the passenger's side to the driver's side. As soon as she buckled her self, she drove the car away from the party to bring it back to the rental office.

As Sam, Drew and Bridget walked up to the Rambler, Bridget paused. She stared at the rambler from beginning to end. Drew could feel that a space behind him was empty. He looked back and saw Bridget in a paresis, staring at the Rambler.

He sopped walking for a second. Then he turned around and walked over to her. "Everything's going to be fine." he said reassuringly. His pacification brought a little tenderness to her. She lowered her head and shed a tear. Sam honked the horn twice for them to get in. "You're going to be fine here. Honestly." he said again, placing both hand on each side of her shoulder. He walked her to the Rambler gently.

He walked her up the stairs and to the back. Sam didn't wait for them to sit down when he put the RV in drive. He went in the same direction as Brigitte to pick her up as soon as she returned the car.

When that much was done with, Brigitte got into the rambler and sat in the passenger's side again. Sam took off once she was settled. While he was driving on the expressway, he pulled the map out of his back pocket and examined it. "This should only take a day or two." Sam said giving the map to Brigitte.

"So what are we going to do about Drew and Bridget?" She asked.

"The only thing we can do is make sure they don't turn. We'll have to keep them around until we find a cure. When we do, we can prevent this kind of shit from happening all over again." he stated.

Brigitte could tell from his response that he was tired of enduring the running around in circles just as much as she was. She laid back all the way in her seat, hoping their journey of wandering Canada was finally over. Now that there were no more wolves tailing them, they would have all the time they needed to work things out in the future. She reminisced to the time when Sam told her that there had to be a cure otherwise there would have more of them. That gave her a gut feeling that there had to be some kind of cure. Whoever found it before must have kept the secret to themselves without sharing the secrets of making it to the world.

Brigitte got up from here seat and waked to the back. Drew and Bridget had fallen asleep on the couch. They had a rough night as well as morning.

Brigitte grabbed a few clothes and went straight to the bathroom to take the shower she had been dying for. She didn't care if the RV was moving or not. The dried blood that was on her skin colored the water red as it went down the drain. Her scars from last night was completely healed.

While she was in the shower, she had some time to think about something else. She thought about Sam and what he told her in the woods. For the first time in a long time, she smiled warmly. Since she had a moment of tranquility, the feeling finally hit her. She couldn't believe Sam liked her after all. Her crush on him had turned into something more serious.

Her mind went to what happened between them last night. For the first time in her life, she picture a life with someone. A future with no uncertainties. It was the best feeling she had gotten in a long time. She thought on it for a while. Something had happened to her that she assumed happened in fairy tales. The only difference is they were going to have a hard time finding a happily ever after.

It didn't bother her much since she didn't pine after birds singing in the sunshine with a rainbow over bright green meadows with every kind of loveable creature loitering in them. Her covetous desire was to live in a reality where she and Sam would find a cure.

When she finished her shower, she dressed herself in a black tank top, old glory blue cotton jogging pants and a pair of socks. She put her tennis shoes on before she walked out. Her body felt less heavier in the air now that she was clean. She put the clothes she got from Gloria in the washer machine before going back to the front.

The sun was beginning to go down and Sam was still driving. "How far have we gotten?" she asked, buckling herself up.

"Quite a long ways. Maybe this time there won't be anymore setbacks." he added.

"Good." She said plain and simple. She turned her head out to the window and watched the passing objects such as beam-poles, trees, other cars, and the lines that separated the lanes.

Sam took a moment to take his eyes off of the road briefly to look at her. From the many glances he stole, he could tell she was thinking about something. What it was, he didn't know. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to his mind at the moment.

When he did find some things to say, he thought of different ways to say them. Once he structured the words right in his mind, he spoke. "Right now, this looks like the only thing we have left to do other than finding a cure. This could put our roaming endlessly to an end so...remind me to ask you to marry me when all of this is over." he hesitated on the last part, his heart thumping faster than ever.

Brigitte tore her glance from the window and looked at him with shock. "Are you serious? Or are you trying to let me know that you're relieved?" she wanted to make sure.

"If you put it that way."

"I'm serious Sam." She replied dull.

"So am I." he replied in a subdued tone.

Brigitte turned to face the windshield of the RV. She could not believe she was hearing him right. "So is that your way of making a marriage proposal?" she asked not necessarily as a question, but to let him know that his proposal was kind of corny. Sam realized this and humped his shoulders too mortified to go back over it again.

Brigitte smiled a small smile. "Alright fine. But only if you remind me to accept your proposal." she gave a corny response to his corny question.

"This isn't going to haunt me for the rest of my life is it?" he asked her about his mediocre question.

"It just might." she replied. "But don't worry about it now. We have a few more things to take care of after this." she reminded him.

"A few more, what else do we have to do?" he asked with wonder.

"Before we get the alternative, we're going back to the town where we rendezvoused and I'm getting my stuff back from that god awful care center." she said the word 'clinic' with disgust.

"Do you think we're going to have that much time on our hands?" he said soft and easy-going.

"I left the rest of what I had from Ginger. I need to get it back." she said in a pleading tone.

"Okay. I'll make sure of it." he assured her.

Brigitte turned her head back to the window. Sacrifice or no sacrifice, she hoped the alternative would alter their lives for the better. The only other wish she had was, '_I wish Ginger would have gotten this far. Our pact was out by sixteen or dead in the scene but together forever. I was out by fifteen and Ginger was dead in the scene but we're still together forever._'

Sam and Brigitte continued the drive and left Drew and Bridget undisturbed. Sam began to wonder what they were going to do about them if he and Brigitte were the only ones who were permitted to get the alternative. As it turned out, Drew and Bridget might have to stay under their watch for as long as it took; that is until they do find a cure.

Back in Gray groves at detective Wilks office

Two days after turning the claw over to the lab, detective Wilks was in her office viewing photos of a homicide murder when she received a knock on the door. "Come in." she permitted the outside person to come inside of her office.

"Detective Wilks." said a tall medium-built man wearing a lab coat with blue jean pants and a black shirt, pacing quickly to her desk with a folder filled with papers.

"Yes what is it?" she reacted to his urgency by sitting up straighter in her chair.

"This just in lab results from that claw you gave to us." he began loud and clear. "The claw was fairly old thus not linking any live fibers on the outside of the claw. However, there was still enough bone marrow on the inside that we were able to salvage.

We were able to identify the remaining stem cells found in the marrow. We liquidized the marrow for further study and found Dog Erythrocyte Antigens letting us know that the subject was in fact canine or more closely, a wolf; **However**, Dog Erythrocytes were not the only bacteria we found on the surface and in the plasma of the blood cell. They were accompanied by very few B antigens with Rh+ antibodies." he ended, obviously still in shock of the results.

"So what's your point?" she asked him conspicuously.

"My point is, this is the claw of a Canine. A or B antigens have no business existing within the bone marrow of this claw. The reason for that being is because A and B antigens are blood types found within apes, or humans. From the looks of it, the platelets and the stems cells of this being were reproducing cells like that of a dog and a human at the same time."

Detective Wilks eyes glistened at the results. Her heart sank as she recalled Sam, Brigitte, Drew and Bridget reacting to the sound of the dog whistle. A tear of fright rolled down her eyes.

"Where did you say you found this claw?" he asked inscrutably low and slow.

She looked at him with her eyes involuntarily tearing up. "I recovered it at a murder scene." she replied as to protect the identity of Sam and Brigitte and the rest of their party. "Have you found out what kind of animal it was?" she asked, wondering if what Brigitte told her was right.

"Unfortunately I can't say that I have. There's no animal I know that's alive today that produces both canine and human antigens at the same time. This is paradoxical as well as it is a phenomenon. With results like this, it's better to keep this kind of information to ourselves until we know more." he ended, going into the envelope and giving her the claw in a clear sealed bag. He left immediately afterward.

As soon as he left the room., she picked up the claw he left on her desk. She looked at it carefully and the hairs on her neck became erect as she again recalled the reaction Sam and Brigitte had to the dog whistle. She knew she was out of her mind for beginning to believe in folklore about werewolves. But what other explanation was there? There was no other solid evidence to prove otherwise. After all, the evidence she gathered fit the scenario perfectly.

She put the claw in her drawer and chose not to think on it anymore; however it was impossible not to. Whatever it was, werewolf or not, the results proved Brigitte to be right after all. The animal was indeed unidentified. She was going to leave it at that.


	21. Quick Trip To Happier Times

Back with Sam and Brigitte

Sam and Brigitte returned to where they embarked on their journey together. Brigitte didn't like being back there. "So after we leave happier times and get the alternative, where are we going next?" Brigitte asked.

"Where we were going in the first place. Before we were detoured. I have another greenhouse that's not too far from where we're going next. We can crash there for a while and figure out what to do from then on." he told her.

"So what are we going to be doing there in the meantime?" Brigitte asked again.

"I have to cultivate some more black orchid Vampira. Not to mention that we still have some live were-leeches back there. We're going to make some more serum. Hopefully in the future we can come closer to the cure or even better the actual the cure." he answered.

Drew, who was sitting in the back with a crying Bridget, walked toward the front of the RV to ask a question. "Is there a reason for us coming all the way back here? I thought you were supposed to be finding some kind of solution to this Lycan thing."

"We are." Brigitte told him. "But I have some place to go before we go too far away."

"And what is 'this place'." he asked again.

"Some place called Happier Times Care Center." Sam reimbursed.

"Happier Times Clinic? What is that?" Drew asked with his brows furled.

Brigitte answered his question. "It's a prison that'll kill you after the first week." she detested the memories of being there.

"You're not serious are you?" Drew asked seriously.

"Of course I'm serious." she told him.

"If you are, then why are we going back there?" he asked timidly, not wanting to die.

"I left my things behind and I have to go and get them back." she told him.

"If your things are clothes, then they can be replaced right? You don't have to go all the way back there just for clothes." he tried to talk her out of it.

"The things I left behind are not replaceable. The only pictures I had left of me and my sister are there and I'm not leaving them behind."

Drew sat down and calmed himself. "Well, If you're going back for that reason, I commend you."

"Thanks." she ended.

Sam wasn't really paying attention to what they were talking about. He was just hoping he would be able to get back on track really soon.

Later on that night

The group made it to the dreadful Happier Times Clinic. Brigitte thought it looked just as dreadful on the outside than on the inside. She knew she was going to be faced with a sleuth of questions once she walked in there. "Are you sure you want to go inside?" Sam asked Brigitte.

"Yes." she said getting out of the RV.

"You have to remember that you weren't exactly released and they can put you in there again." he warned.

"Not if all of you are with me. Especially you, doctor." she told Sam.

"Doctor?" he repeated in question.

"You have a licensed medical card. Just tell them you found me lying out somewhere and you made me a patient or something." she told him.

"A patient where? I may have a medical card Brigitte but I work for self." he said getting out of the RV and walking to where she was. Bridget and Drew followed.

Brigitte continued to speak. "Alright then, just say you used to treat me and then you retired early because you wanted to pursue something else. Say that my mom hired you to be some kind of orderly and I ran away and wound up here or something." she told him.

"And if that doesn't work?" Sam hoped she had a plan B.

"Then I sneak in and get my things back anyway. The only problem is, I don't know where they might have put them. I could get caught trying to get my things back but it's worth a shot." she told him.

Drew butted into the conversation. "You know Fitzgerald, if you need your things stolen back for you, you can count on me." Drew assured her.

"Thanks, but no thanks. You wouldn't have an excuse for being here because this is an all girls clinic." she told him.

Bridget spoke next. "An all girls clinic sounds like hell to me."

"Believe me it is hell. That's probably why the second part of the building burned down." Brigitte answered.

Upon reaching the front doors of the clinic, Sam stopped Brigitte from going any further. "Before we go in here, we need to figure out how to do this."

"We're just going to have to play it by ear." Brigitte told him.

Out of the blue, Bridget came up with an idea. "You know, when people lose their things at the motel, we put them in a lost and found room. If no one comes back to retrieve them in the first month, we throw the belongings out.

If you left here before a month went by, there might be a slight chance that they'll still have them waiting for anyone to pick them up. It doesn't matter who the person is. Maybe Sam can tell them that he's your brother or something like that and get your clothes back from you. I heard they only give access to relatives at places like this."

Drew, Brigitte and Sam thought it over. "Well that sounds better than the previous ideas." Sam admitted.

Bridget continued. "Just tell them that Brigitte went missing from home and you tracked her down this far. I'm sure they'll give you her things." she hoped.

"The only issue on our hands is that I'm not Brigitte's brother. My last name is McDonald not Fitzgerald."

"Then say you're cousins. You don't have to have the same last names to be cousins." she knew from the fact she and Heather were cousins with different last names.

Drew added his say. "That does seem more believable."

Sam and Brigitte agreed. "I guess I'll wait for you guys to come back out then right?" Brigitte told them.

"I'll wait out here with you if you want me to." Bridget told her.

"Or maybe Sam can stay here and I'll go." Drew told Brigitte.

Bridget looked at Drew. "Sam can't stay out here. He has to be the one to do it because he knows more about Brigitte than we do. They may ask some personal questions that we don't know the answers to."

"Oh, I guess I didn't think about that." Drew said sheepishly.

Sam was getting impatient. "It doesn't matter who stays out here. We need to get in and get out and be gone. This place is already making me sick from the smell." he admonished. "Better yet, both of you stay out here with Brigitte, I'm going in alone." he went inside without another word.

Bridget and Drew followed orders from Sam and sat with Brigitte. "So how long have you been here in this dump?" Bridget asked.

"Two minutes is long enough for me." Brigitte replied dull.

Drew asked the next question. "Were you able to make any friends here?" he smiled.

Brigitte lowered her head and curled her lips. "Something like that." she said low.

"Yeah," drew started excited. "is she still in there?"

"She's dead." she said with a more audible pitch.

Drew raised his brows in surprise. "I'm guessing the wolf, well, werewolf had something to do with it." he summed.

She nodded her head. Bridget spoke after Drew. "Seems like those wolves take the most precious person away from you. Be it a friend or a close relative." she spoke solemn.

"That's exactly why Sam and I try so hard to find a way out of this. And we'll do everything we can to keep the same thing happening from the both of you as well. There were times when I wanted to commit suicide. Ironically, I was here when I thought about doing it.

But I had to find strength. I had to believe that I could overcome it. I guess I can say it's true when they say winter is a season of miracles." Brigitte told Drew and Bridget. They listened and empathized with her. They weren't looking forward to transforming either.

"So what can Bridget and I do to help you and Sam?" Drew asked.

"The best thing you can do right now is avoid infecting any one else. Even if you so much as scratch someone they'll become infected. You might have to stay away from society and overly populated areas if you can help it." Brigitte replied.

Bridget was next to ask, "How long do you think it will take for you and Sam to find a cure for me and Drew?"

"I don't know. Even if it takes us a lifetime to figure it out, believe me when I say we're not going to give up on you, Drew, or anyone else if we can help it. This curse can ruin lives beyond repair." she answered her with a few of her own opinions.

"I wouldn't exactly say that's true." Drew cut into the conversation. "You and Sam managed to overcome a lot of things. I remember you telling me that it took at least a month to turn. You and Sam lasted four years. Not to mention you and Sam still have a life ahead of you. I'm pretty sure the future is much brighter for you this time." He said with empathy.

Brigitte displayed a small smile, which she did a lot lately since meeting Sam again. "When did you get so grown up?" she said with a hint of felicity.

Drew smiled bashfully. Before he could say anything else, Sam walked out of the door with a black plastic bag in his left hand. Brigitte was happy he managed to get her stuff back for her, but his expression is what concerned her most of all. "What happened?" She asked.

"If someone wants to see hell earlier than death then I would definitely recommend this shit hole." he said harsh.

Drew heard what Sam and and responded. "I take it that it wasn't pleasant in there." he started.

Instead of answering Drew's inquisition, Sam turned his head to Brigitte. "How in the hell did you stay in there without committing suicide? This place is a fucking functioning grave site." he said with disgust as they all walked back to the RV.

"Believe me, I was this close to doing myself." she held her index finger not even a centimeter over her thumb.

"And what made you stop?" Sam asked again.

"I had to keep believing that I could overcome my problems. If I didn't have that much left in me, I don't think you would have ran into me again." she said now happier than ever that she chose to stay alive.

Sam shrugged just thinking about what it would be like in there. "If I was stuck in there for two minutes, I think I would have hung myself and left a note telling them to bury me far away from here. The term 'happier times' shouldn't even be affiliated with this mess." Sam stressed his opinion some more.

Drew butted in again, "Was it that dreadful?"

"Oh yeah." Brigitte answered his question with certainty. She then finished talking to Sam. "So what was it about the place that got you so turned off?" She smirked, wondering if it was going to be the same thing she thought when she first woke up there.

"For one," Sam started, "They're keeping people in there like they're guinea pigs; it doesn't smell too good in there; I hate the aura, it's nauseating; there's hardly any kind of light in there, and worst of all, it's crowded with too many people that live by the book." he told her plain and simple.

"Those are exactly some of the reasons I hated being in there. Not to mention they don't let you out of your room until they felt like letting you out." she grimaced with displeasure.

Sam started the RV while Drew and Bridget settled in the back. Brigitte was going through the bag to make sure all of her things were intact. She didn't exactly see what she was grabbing, but she felt and recognized her journal.

She pulled it out of the bag and opened it. It was the records of all of her cuts and healing rates. She rubbed her fingers down the page slowly. At the bottom, there was an empty entry. She took a moment to think of what she would put down. "Let's get out of here." she said, nothing coming to mind at that time.


	22. The Alternative

They had been traveling for at least 3 days and a half. It was twilight when they finally came close to their appointed destination. Drew and Bridget were sitting on the couch and Sam and Brigitte were sitting in the front as usual. A day before, they decided to call Brigitte and Bridget by their last names as not to get their names confused.

Outside of the RV, a cold fog hung about in the air making the outside look periwinkle-gray. Snow was still on the ground but it wasn't as thick. Beyond the fog, at least 30 feet in front of the RV was a vast of leafless trees that seemed to spread horizontal for miles. More trees than at the Ferlands. If anything, those trees looked as if Sam and Brigitte could get lost just as easy than the last woods they ventured. Only this time, they had more confidence since Sam's wanderlust no longer played a part in getting them lost. Another thing is they seemed to have developed a great sense of direction. It was almost if being lost in the last woods taught them something new about finding their way through even the thickest of trees.

"So what are we doing here?" Drew asked with curiosity as he gazed out to the trees.

"Looking for something." Sam responded low while looking dead ahead at the trees. He then turned his head to Brigitte. She looked at him in return. "Are you ready for this?" he asked in the same voice.

Brigitte nodded her head. She looked to the back where Bridget and Drew were sitting. "You guys stay here. We'll be back okay." she assured them.

"You're going out there?" Drew asked in astonishment.

"Right now we don't have a choice." Sam answered casually. "come to think of it, we never really do." he sensed out. Brigitte understood very well what he was talking about and considered his statement.

Brigitte and Sam undid their seat-belts and stepped outside. Bridget and Drew watched them from the window. "Are they going to be alright?" Bridget asked Drew.

"I'm pretty sure they will. If they made it through those other wolves, then they can get through this. I just know they can." he had the utmost confidence in them.

"What if there's more of them out there?" She cringed at the question.

"I don't know. Let's hope there aren't any of them out there. If there are, I think they'll be able to handle it well enough." he said without a hint of immaturity.

"I know I barely know you, but you've changed." she looked a him deeply, her eyes still a little swell from grieving over Heather again.

"In a good way or a bad way?" he wanted to make sure.

"I'd say in a good way. You don't really act like a wimpy little boy anymore." she complimented.

Drew smiled. "Yeah, I guess that is a good thing. Seems to me that it took a couple of weird strangers to help me with that lifelong problem." he referred to Sam and Brigitte and how they turned his upside-down life right-side-up. "What about you?" he began with a question. "How are you feeling?" he asked concerned.

"I'm still grieving. Brigitte said it was only natural to miss someone so much. She told me it wasn't going to go away in a day or maybe even a year. She told me her sister died four years ago and she still has some moments when she grieves for her. So I'll probably be this way for a while so don't worry about me. I know I can get through it." she assured him.

"With all of our help. We'll make sure you get better." he said warmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Bridget smiled at him which made Drew smile wider in return. "With Sam and Brigitte, I've come to understand that they are relentless people who won't give up whatsoever. Even if they're at a crossroad. I've witnessed that first hand. If only I can be more like them. But then again, I like me the way I am." he said proud. He looked out the window once more through the thickening fog knowing Sam and Brigitte was in the midst of it in some obscure place.

Sam and Brigitte walked through the snow with no problem. Their gait was quick. "Let's make this fast if we can." Brigitte told Sam.

"Alright." he responded while looking at the map. Not only did it have a highlighted trail, it also had some detail of the landmarks they might see on the way to let them know that they were going in the right direction.

Every detail they gathered from the map, they applied it to their current surroundings. Going through the misty trees without being able to see five feet away from them didn't scare them at all. All of what they had gone through taught them that they had no reason to be scared.

While they were walking, Ginger's apparition appeared before them. "Congratulations." she said in a dull tone. "You've come further than I thought you'd ever get." she didn't show that she was surprised.

"Is there anything you need to tell us?" Brigitte asked.

"Only that." Ginger replied. "And this," she paused before speaking again. "This is the end of the journey for you guys. What you choose to do next is going to be something totally new from what you've been doing for the last past four years. The question is, how are you going to adapt to such a sudden life? Do you guys really want to stop moving from place to place? It looks like it's part of your new norm."

"What kind of question is that?" Brigitte asked.

Sam spoke before Ginger got a chance to answer. "I think I know." he looked at Ginger deep in her eyes albeit talking to Brigitte. "Ginger never lived to get this far and her life ended too short. Since she's been with you this whole time, she experienced through you what it was like to go from place to place facing confusion after confusion.

Well for her, she never got through that confusion and even in death, she's stuck with the same perplexity that you and I found a way out of. So this won't only be new for me and you, but for Ginger also.

She died without this chance that we have now. Since she's been with you in the mind, she has a chance to get a thrill out of seeing what it's like not having to worry about becoming a werewolf ." he explained thoroughly enough.

Brigitte looked at Ginger next. "Is that true?" she asked.

Ginger looked to be sucking her teeth. "You know, there are times when I wish Sam wasn't so damn smart. But this time, I'm going to let him slide because he is right." she hated to admit it. Sam on the other hand didn't care if he was right or wrong at the time. He just wanted it all to be over.

"So not only is this new for Sam and I, but for you too. You want to know the kind of life you could have had if you were in our shoes." she said to show she understood.

"All this time, I thought you were wasting your time chasing after something that wasn't going to do any good. But you and Sam overcame." she said cheerful all the while solemn. "I've seen you overcome a few times before B. But this time is more powerful. And it took for you to have to run into Sam again to find what you both wanted.

If I would have killed him, I think it would be my fault as to why you would still be suffering. I just thought you wouldn't have to suffer anymore if you just gave into it. As it turns out, I was wrong and I'm sorry B." she said more sentimental than she had been since she got infected with Lycanthropy.

Brigitte smiled the biggest smile than she ever did since Ginger died. A tear rolled down her cheeks. "Just give us a chance to find more about this alternative before we get into this conversation any further." She suggested. Sam agreed and they continued to walk.

When they walked passed Ginger's apparition, Ginger watched them as they sought to bring their problems to an end. She smiled and faded slowly away.

Sam and Brigitte were getting closer and closer to where x marked the spot. Every time they found they were getting nearer, anxiety rushed through them. Unbeknownst to them, it was helping to hasten them along the way.

All the while they were going to where they needed to, the area seemed vaguely familiar to them. They couldn't put their finger on it, but the place definitely felt familiar to them. They could feel it in their bones. "I don't know why, but it seems as if I've been here before." Brigitte told Sam.

"Really? I was getting that same feeling." he let her know the feeling was mutual.

"Why do you think we're feeling this way?" she asked.

"I can't really say. It's like a–a...sense of dèja vû or something."

"That's odd." she said almost as quick as her walk.

"Yes," he paused in his speech to look at the map again, "it is odd. Whatever the reason, we can find out later."

Sam and Brigitte ceased their talking and concentrated on the landmarks that were bound to be about somewhere around them. The deeper they walked into the woods, the trees became scarce. Sooner or later, it came to an opened area. Once they made it there, a very strong feeling hit Brigitte hard.

The place now began to look familiar as well as feel it. She and Sam had stopped walking to apply the map to their surroundings. Brigitte looked around carefully. Every little thing about the place was beckoning her to remember it. She tried hard to think of where she had seen that place though she had never been.

Sam brought her out of her pensive state when he began speaking. "Things are looking good so far. We're where we need to be without any delays. If we can keep this up, we'll probably be out of here before nightfall."

Sam didn't know what he just said inspired Brigitte to finally remember where she had seen the place before. She imagined it being dark in that place and made it out as the place she had seen in her dreams when she spoke to Ginger. "Sam I think I know where we're going." she said abrupt.

"What?" he asked, not knowing what she said.

"I said I think I know where we're going." she reiterated. Without warning, she began jogging to the right of the open space of the woods.

"Hey! Brigitte! Brigitte!" Sam called to her to get her attention. She paid him no mind as she was too busy making the place out in her head. "Brigitte, where are you going?" he asked, struggling to keep up with her.

"There's a big oak tree somewhere around here. It looks like it's been burned but it's still standing. I don't really understand why but I feel like that's the place we have to be. I just know it." she said so sure of herself.

"And how do you know this?" he asked.

"like I said before, this placed felt familiar to me." she started.

"It felt familiar to me too, but not enough to guess where I'm going."

"It's not just that Sam." she spoke through heavy breathing. "Until we got out into this opening, it started to look familiar too." she told him.

"Have you been here before?" he wondered.

"In a dream." she answered simply.

"In a dream?" he repeated in the form of a question.

"Yes, in a dream?" she repeated.

"So, you're saying that you're going who knows where because you think this is the same place you saw in a dream?"

"I don't think it is, I know it is." she said seriously.

Sam couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So, you know where we're going because you've been here in the dream?" he said unbelievably.

"I'm glad you understand." she was being sarcastic as she continued to lead them through the heavily fogged opening with very little trees.

"That's the thing Brigitte, I don't understand."

"What's so hard to understand?" she asked with no trace of emotions.

"The fact that you're putting faith into a dream that you had. What if you're misleading yourself?" he seemed more concerned about her more so than getting lost again.

"I put my faith into a figment of my imagination. So far, my place of mind help us both out."

Sam knew she was talking about them being able to see Ginger. That much, Sam knew she was right about. He wondered if he should associate that with the situation they were facing right now. After a few seconds of thinking it over, he chose not to say anything else. He just continued to follow Brigitte's lead because she had so much certainty about her.

Brigitte slowed down to a swift stride and that led them into another part of the woods. There were gaps of a clearing of trees every now and then. Brigitte closed her eyes and kept redirecting her mind back to the dream she had. From that point on, she let her gut feeling lead them to where they had to go.

Sam was busy keeping in mind where they had gone. He tailed close behind Brigitte so they wouldn't accidentally get separated. All the time Brigitte was leading them, Sam felt the same familiarity pour over him as they came closer and closer to their mark.

Sam had his sight occupied to the right which caused him to fail to notice Brigitte had stopped. He walked right into her. "Oh, sorry." he said holding her by the shoulders to stabilize her again. When she looked stable enough, he let go and peered over to her face over her shoulder. He saw that she was looking at something awestruck.

He turned his attention to where she was looking and became awestruck himself. Ahead of them was a few thin trees acting as a curtain to hide what was behind them. Through the many spaces between them, Sam and Brigitte saw the grand oak tree that was sitting beyond those few skinny trees.

"Well I'll be damned." Sam said in a whisper.

Brigitte smiled. Not because of the fact she was right over Sam, but the fact that she was glad she went along with her gut feeling. Without a word, she continued walking that way. Sam trailed close behind, glad that he didn't oppose of Brigitte's decision.

As they got closer, the tree appeared bigger and bigger. Sam and Brigitte came to the base of the tree. The base was very large and the roots from it ran thick and deep and spread at least 15 feet from the base.

Sam and Brigitte walked around the tree and tried to make out it's history. From the looks of it, the tree was torched at a time and failed to produce anymore leaves or blossoms. They walked a 300° circle around the tree and found that the rest of the 60° was a gap between the hill the tree was based upon.

They looked down and figured the hill was high enough to make a cave under the base of the tree. Sam climbed down and Brigitte went with him. They stood in between the middle of the gap and looked at the roots of the tree covering the hill wall and hiding something that showed specks of white.

Sam and Brigitte removed the roots and vines and found that the white it was concealing were bones. They took a couple of steps back. Their view allowed them to see that it was the bones belonging to not only one but two skeletons of Lycanthropes. Some of the the bones themselves looked to be scorched the same as the tree.

Another thing they figured from the picture was that they must have died together. The cold winds blew and the fog had reached it's thickening point. It was gray out where they were. The domain of that part of the woods seemed dead yet very much alive. The scenery took them from what they were primarily doing there.

"Did you see all of this in your dream too?" Sam asked Brigitte.

"No, I only saw the tree. I don't know about this." she told him.

Out of the blue, they heard the voice of a woman with a different kind of accent speaking behind them. "The history of this tree began hundreds of years ago." Sam and Brigitte whirled around to the voice and saw an elderly Indian woman wearing different kinds of colorful beads. Her hair was gray and braided long down her back. Her earrings looked to be made out of bones and beads.

"What's the story on this tree?" Brigitte asked.

"The story has been passed down from generation to generation. Tis a grand story indeed." she began with a voice of comfort. "Tis also a very long story if you have the time to listen." she gave them a heads up.

Sam spoke up next. "Actually we don't have that much time. We came here looking for an alternative." he began.

"An alternative to not become completely inflicted by the curse of the Loup-Garou." She finished for him rather than making it sound like an inquisition.

"Loup...What?" Sam asked in perplexity.

"A Loup-Garou which people like yourselves would probably call shape-shifters, or Lycans, or most commonly werewolves. To my people, they are known as the Loup-Garou." She spoke smooth, slow, and calm.

"Well, I suppose so." He answered her statement from before.

"I take it the both of you have been inflicted with this curse, is that right?" she asked. Both Sam and Brigitte nodded their head in agreement. "Do the pair of you share the same curse of the accursed?" they way she asked the question was hard to grip.

"Could you repeat that?" Brigitte asked.

"Were the both of you cursed by the same wolf?" She asked more clearly. Sam and Brigitte nodded again. "Do you know who the person used to be before they became condemned?" she asked again.

"Is that relevant?" Sam asked.

"It is." she answered nicely. "However, when you know who the person is, you have a better chance at separating yourselves from them and the alternative will become stronger. If you do not, then I can only do so much and it will be up to you to figure out how to sever the ties between you and the accursed one." she explained.

That made enough sense to Sam and Brigitte. They showed that they comprehended well with her explication by nodding their heads again. "My sister was the one who infected us." Brigitte told her in detail.

"Is that so?" the Indian woman asked with peculiarity.

"Yes." Brigitte confirmed.

"Tell me then, who was it that killed your sister?" she asked with the same peculiar tone.

Brigitte didn't like thinking about it, but she had to answer the question now that it has been asked by someone who could help both her and Sam out with their condition. "I did." she said solemn and tried not to choke on tears.

The Indian woman smiled a large Smile before turning her attention to Sam. She looked at him carefully. "I thought I felt some kind of energy from you two." she spoke through her smile.

"What do you mean?" Brigitte asked while Sam displayed a look of discombobulation.

"This tree here began to ache the moment your presence was felt. T'as never done this to anyone who has ventured yonder to seek the alternative. Perhaps this tree has seen you before." her words made the hairs on their necks stand up.

"What do you mean when you say this tree has seen us before?" Sam asked.

"I mean this tree is a living creature. Tis that it does not have eyes, but it can feel the same as we do. T'as a history the same as every creature on the earth. Apparently t'as a history with you. And I think I know what." She smiled a very ominous smile. "You...young girl." she looked at Brigitte. Once she captivated Brigitte's attention she began to speak again. "Your hair is black. Was your sister's hair red by any chance?"

Brigitte's eyes widened. The Indian woman's question made her eyes water and chills were sent up her spine. "How...how did you know that?" she asked through a stuttering voice. Sam was shocked as well. How could she have known that.

The Indian woman laughed in her throat. "T'as everything to do with the history of this tree. T'actually began with the legend known throughout Indian folklore as 'The Red and the Black'. It tells of two sisters who were inseparable who would have to one day kill the other if it meant for the other's survival. The story seemed to have repeated itself." her bone chilling story had much more potential of scarring them more so than the werewolves did.

"So what do I have to do with it?" Sam asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, the sister of black hair was the remaining sister who sought refuge in a mercenary. That mercenary may have been you." she looked at him poignantly. "He had a story of his own. Oh yes, a ruthless man. But his will was powerful. It couldn't be shaken. T'was a will that lasted that made this mighty oak tree a famous and powerful oak. I can sense the very same energy of the tree within the both of you.

This may be the first alternative that would prove more powerful than any other. I do not know the results of it as of yet, but I'm sure t'will bestow upon you something it has never bestowed upon anyone before. But first, like any other person, you will have to make a sacrifice."

Sam and Brigitte looked at each other and prepared for the consequences. "What do we have to sacrifice?" Sam asked.

"Most of those who have been inflicted with this curse long to become human again. You will have to give up that desire. When the alternative is done, your days of being a human will be diminished. You will have to stay away from heavily populated areas. Your crave for human flesh will eat at you at times.

In your case young man, I believe your will is strong enough to withstand it. And I'm sure it will spill over to your mated pair."

"So let me ask you this," Brigitte started, "Why would a person choose not to get this alternative?"

"Some people would rather die than to become something that they're not. Most people would chance an all or nothing. It's either all human or no human. Some can't bare being apart from families or either they're not strong enough or don't think they're strong enough to handle such consequences. Do you think you can handle it?" she asked finally.

Sam and Brigitte stood and thought about it. They turned to each other to read the expressions on their faces. They wanted to make sure they were making the right decision. They had so long wanted to rid themselves of Lycanthropy. Now they find they would be stuck with it for the rest of their lives and nothing they did would ever get rid of it.

Sam and Brigitte's heart raced as they came up with a decision. They gripped each others hand tightly and built up the courage within themselves and took a turn of faith. Sam answered for them. "Alright, we'll go...we'll go with the alternative." he breathed out.

The Indian woman smiled again. "If you will, pick one bone from the Loup-Garou. You, girl of the black take a bone from the one on the right. Brigitte and Sam did as the woman instructed. They weren't going to question why they had to do it sine the woman obviously knew what she was doing.

Brigitte took the front femur of the wolf skeleton and Sam took the jaw bone of the other one. They walked back over to the Indian woman who waited patiently. "If you will follow me please." she said gracefully before walking on for Sam and Brigitte to follow.

Sam and Brigitte walked really close to each other. They both had butterflies in their stomachs because they hoped they were doing the right thing. They followed the lady to a deeper part of the woods. Every now and then they walked pass a few teepees.

Finally, they stopped in front of one of the teepees that appeared to belong to the woman they were following. In front of the teepee was a cauldron sitting atop a small fire pit in the ground. "Place the bones into the pot." she insisted next. Sam and Brigitte did as they were told without breaking their silence. "Now sit down in Indian style." she said in doing so herself. She was soon joined by Sam and Brigitte.

Many times Sam and Brigitte were having second thoughts. Since they came that far and had a bit more optimism than pessimism, they both chose to go ahead with their decision.

The Indian woman lit the fire in the pit underneath the cauldron and scooped up some snow from the ground and placed it inside the pot. "Now there is something very important about this alternative you should know about." she began serious. Sam and Brigitte hearkened with intensity. "The alternative is looked at to be an alternate way to maintain one's sense of self; however, not everyone has strong enough spirit to withstand this alternative.

Your mind must be clear, your spirit must be strong, and your will must be unbreakable. Any lack of these three important things, then the alternative will not work as it should. Sometimes people take their own lives after the alternative is done. It becomes too much for them and the curse of the Loup-Garou overtakes them anyway because of lack of willpower.

I give you a chance now to either go along or go against your decision. I advise you very much to be wise." she said plain and clear, all in one tone.

Sam and Brigitte did what they would usually do when it comes to making a mutual decision and that was exchanging a look. They looked at each other hard and thought about what they had been thinking about before. Most of their minds were already made up. Now that they had this new information, they wondered whether or not they were strong enough as they thought they were.

They sat and thought about it, they began recollecting all they had been through to get to that point. Most people would last only a month or maybe less before succumbing to the transformation. But Sam and Brigitte did the impossible when they held out on their own for four years straight. Not to mention that their Lycanthropy was subdued.

After thinking on these things, they found enough courage within themselves to grip the right answer. They made it up in their own minds and saw the courage in each others eyes. "We'll stick with our decision." Sam spoke for the both of them.

"Very well. Shall we then?" She said taking up a knife that was hidden under an old piece of cloth lying on the side of the pit. "Hold out your right palms." she told them. Sam and Brigitte stuck out their arms with their palms facing up.

She took Sam's hand first and moved it over the steaming pot. She sliced a horizontal line in his palm and let his blood fall into the cauldron. Then she did the same with Brigitte. Once both of their blood was in the pot, the steam from the boiling water turned reddish-orange. Within that steam, Sam and Brigitte thought their eyes were playing tricks on them when they saw Ginger's face form in the steam briefly. The both of them squinted their eyes and saw no more of Ginger's face.

The steam then went back to the normal color of steam. When that happened, the Indian woman looked to be praying over the pot. She waved her fingers in specific movements over and over again. Whenever she did this, the steam made various of shapes such as the bone of the femur, the jaw, a hand, and a knife. The shapes weren't exactly discrete but were able to be made out if you looked carefully.

Later, she took a small brown pouch that was hanging from her neck. She put her hand inside and pulled out three frog's legs. In another pouch hanging from her neck, she took what looked like crow's feet. All of this she placed in the pot.

When the woman finished her chanting, she took a wooden gourd from where the knife was and filled it with the mixture from the pot. "You must drink this to connect with your unidentified self." she spoke to them in code. Sam and Brigitte didn't exactly know what she meant by that but they chose not to ask.

Brigitte's stomach turned because she knew what was put in that pot. She tried to hide it but it was easy to tell that her face grimaced with disgust. She took the gourd from the woman. She took a deep inhale breath and braved up to drink the ghastly potion. She held her breath and downed the stuff as quick as she could.

Once she was finished, she put her hand over her mouth to help fight the urge of regurgitating. She gave the gourd back to the Indian woman.

From they way Brigitte was looking, Sam thought about backing out of it for the sake of his stomach. It was a silly notion so he threw it out of his mind. The Indian woman gave Sam the gourd next. He took it from her hand slowly. He cursed in his mind before drinking the stuff . He drank as if he was drinking a shot of strong liquor.

When he finished, he began coughing because the taste was the most horrible thing he had ever tasted in his life. He handed the gourd back to the Indian woman. She sat it back down where she had gotten it.

"Now, you say that you knew of the accursed before she transformed, is that right?" She asked to make sure. Sam and Brigitte nodded, still suffering with the awful taste in their mouth. "Good." the Indian woman smiled. "I want for the both of you to think about this person. Think about who she was when the curse was inflicted upon her."

It wasn't hard for Brigitte to think of her at all. It was fairly easy. But thinking about her sister all over again made her feel the grief she had felt when she first died.

Sam, on the contrary was annoyed because he had to think about Ginger against his will. The main thing he could really recall about her was every degrading name she had called him. Albeit his eyes being closed, he rolled them at the memory of her.

The Indian woman continued after a few long seconds. "If you have a really good picture of her in your minds, I want you to close your eyes and lie down on to your backs. You will begin to feel strange. There might be a tingle in your bones as you are merged deeper within your inner spirits."

Sam and Brigitte had a vivid picture of Ginger in their minds. While their eyes were closed, reality seemed to slip away and fade into a type of dream. The cold that surrounded them vanished as they no longer felt it. Their bodies became numb to all feeling around them. They couldn't even feel the ground they were lying on. It was as if they were floating on a cloud in the midst of nothingness. To them, they felt empty...their minds were empty, their hearts were empty, the nerves in their bodies were empty. Wherever their minds went to, they no longer existed.

Everything faded to black. Nothing could be heard, nothing could be seen; nothing could be smelled and nothing could be felt. After blacking out of existence, the first feeling that came to them was the tingling in their bones. Their minds became alert and the beating of their hearts were stronger and louder than ever.

Finally, light was emitted into their eyes. All around them was pure white at first. The light began to get darker, letting them know that they were somewhere instead of nowhere. As the light became dimmer, objects began to form and were easier to make out.

Soon, Sam and Brigitte's minds were connected into one. Sam was able to see Brigitte and she was able to see Sam. They were standing 8 feet away from each other. The area around them looked vaguely familiar. It was the same pathway to the big old and burnt oak tree. The only difference was the skies were much bluer and the fog wasn't heavy at all.

Instead of walking toward each other, they walked ahead to the big oak tree. The both of them seemed to be drawn to something that held them like a spell because it was unlike them to not travel side-by-side.

As they drew nearer to the grand oak, the snow on the ground went from white to red: the color of blood. Blood stained the snow as if it was a white carpet that was dyed red. The sound of ravens could be heard.

Everything that could be picked up with the human ear and eye were ignore by Sam and Brigitte. As they sauntered nearer to the tree, they walked closer to each other but paid it no mind. They took the exact same route they took when they first came. They climbed down silently to the base of the tree.

Instead of seeing the skeletons of the wolves, they saw that the werewolves were very much alive. Their fur was black and their faces were white with dark circles around the eye. Sitting calmly in between them was Ginger.

"I guess you're not the only two involved in this alternative." Ginger began. "do you know what the funny thing is?" she spoke low and slow. "When I saw these two lying here, I could have sworn that they were you two. I thought you might have chosen to given in for some reason. Yet here you both are in front of me. So if you're there and not here, then who are these two?"

Sam and Brigitte didn't know what she was talking about; however, the wolves were not scary to them at all. In fact, they felt as if they knew those two wolves. Something about them was oddly familiar.

Both of the wolves looked at Sam and Brigitte with a fire in their eye. Sam and Brigitte looked back at them with the same fire. Soon, they had an epiphany. They realized that the wolves that were staring at them–were themselves.

It was strange but true. They were looking at themselves. The only thing was, how were they humans and wolves at the same time. Time...that was the solution. They were looking at themselves at the same time, but at themselves of a different time.

They remembered the words of the Indian woman. They were drawn to their own spirits. After they figured things out, the spirits began to contradict. The wolves died and the curse was still left in the bones while the humane souls were reincarnated. The spirits Sam and Brigitte left behind longed to join with them again.

They already had part of the wolves within their intestines. Now the spirits wanted to be conjoined spiritually. Their previous human soul was tainted but purified when they died. Now their souls are tainted again but this time, their wolf forms were pure.

"I see now it's time to cast away a piece of your souls." Ginger told them. "That's what the ravens said." the ravens gathered around Sam and Brigitte on the ground and others littered the branches of the tree.

When the setting around them became ominous, Sam and Brigitte felt a gagging sensation. Their chests began to burn from the inside. They grimaced and moaned in pain. The pain was so intolerable that it brought them to their knees.

From their mouths, blood dripped from their lips to the ground. While the blood was dropping, the red liquid was forming a picture on the ground; a picture of a Lycan. They continued to moan in pain. They didn't notice, but the wolves that were on each side of Ginger walked up to both Sam and Brigitte.

While they were hunched over from the agony and despair they felt, a raven flew in front of them both. Suddenly, a tiny radiant blue orb the size of a golf ball came from their chests. The orbs floated swiftly into the chest of the raven. The raven died upon receiving a piece of Sam and Brigitte's souls.

Once the raven died, Sam and Brigitte's pain ceased as did the blood from their mouths. They quieted their moaning and panted to relieve the backlash of the pain. When they quieted their breathing, they heard heavier breathing over their heads.

They looked up slowly and came face to face with the wolves. They should have been scared, but they weren't. They weren't because in a way, they were the wolves and they wouldn't kill themselves. They looked deep into the wolves' eyes as if they were staring into themselves.

In an instant, the wolves began to glow a bright red and their bodily features diminished into pure light in the same form. The light walked into them both. As they were walking into them, the spirits threatened to take control. Brigitte and Sam felt it and began to fight to keep control over who they were.

They didn't overcome the odds just to be defeated just yet. They still had things to do and a life to live. They had an internal battle. They stayed strong the whole way through. They wouldn't allow for the spirits of the wolves to just walk into their lives and take over.

The eyes of the spirits showed up in their heads. They seemed to be threatening them to give in. Ginger watched on with interest, wondering if they would. Sam and Brigitte remembered looking into their eyes before they walked into them. They knew that they fire they had burning within them was just as strong as the fire burning within the eyes of their past selves.

It was a hard struggle true enough. After nearly thirty minutes of fighting, Sam and Brigitte's willpower was strong enough to take the spirits into them and not the other way around. What those wolves really wanted was to exist again but through them. Sam and Brigitte gave them that desire, but they weren't going to let them exist while in control of who they were and who they currently are.

When the battle came to an end, they fainted. Ginger walked over to them and knelt down. "Looks like you're finally one again. They were part of your once before. You left them behind when you were reincarnated. That's why they were pulling on you two so hard because they wanted to be a part of you again. They told me this right after you two showed up.

I wonder how this is all going to work out. I wonder how you're going to coexist in one body. It may be the same as the rest of times. But since this is the alternative, I wonder how this could be any different." Ginger faded away as did the rest of the world.

Sam and Brigitte faced the same nothing aside from a heavy feeling that filled their bodies. It felt as if someone had cauterized their entire body. Soon, the heat calmed when they felt coolness and heard the wind blowing. They felt something hard and cold underneath their backs.

When they opened their eyes, the first thing they saw were leafless tree tops and the sky above them. They were back in reality. Brigitte was the first to sit up. She put her hand over her head; she had a massive headache. Her stomach even felt funny. Sam did the same thing a few seconds later. He felt the same way Brigitte felt.

"So you have come awake." the Indian woman said as she was coming out of her teepee with a sack filled with water.

Sam and Brigitte could hardly make out what was going on. The Indian woman handed the water to Brigitte. She gulped down the water quickly leaving half of the sack empty. She handed the rest of it to Sam.

"I feel like killing myself right about now." Sam complained about how bad his head was hurting. He took the sack from Brigitte and drank the rest of the water.

"Was that real?" Brigitte asked the Indian woman.

"Do you mean what you saw in the dreamworld?"

"Is that what it was? Just a dream?" She asked.

"Dreamworld is another way of saying spirit world. Whatever you saw, you were looking deep within your self. In a way, yes t'was real." she explained while smiling.

Sam spoke next. "So what's going to happen? How can we tell this alternative actually works?"

"You will. Just be sure to stay in a safely secured place when the next full moon comes. T'will pull on the potion the two of you drank, making the potion potent and stronger."

Sam thought about what she said and made sense of it. "Do you mean locking ourselves in instead locking something else out?" he furrowed his brows.

"Yes." she answered simply and pleasantly. "be sure to take extra clothing with you. You'll need it. Now, you'd best be on your way." she smiled again.

"Wait, there's something else I'd like to ask." Brigitte began. "Why do you have to wait 20 years to do this alternative?"

"Because each time a blue moon occurs, it gives more energy and power to the grand oak. I guess I should tell you that when your past lives died under that tree, there was such courage and determination that filled that tree with life. Every blue moon, t'will increase that power. That determination is one of the main ingredients to this spell. I was drawing the energy from the tree to fuel the potion you drank. I hope that t'is a good answer for you."

"It's good enough. Thanks." Brigitte gratified. Sam was already on his feet and he was helping Brigitte to hers. "Let's get back. I think we've been gone long enough." Brigitte told Sam. They began to walk away from the Indian woman who stayed where she was, watching them as they departed. As soon as Sam and Brigitte was out of sight, the Indian woman turned into a red wolf and went off into the woods.

Sam looked to be bothered by something. Something about what the woman said about them locking Brigitte and himself away. He was hoping deep down inside that he and Brigitte made the right decision. He was the type of person to know the precautions before he dove into something. So far he had done something reckless twice. Once when he made the first batch of monkshood without testing it before he used it on someone. It worked but it was sill a reckless choice.

The second, this time when he chose an alternative without knowing what the alternative was going to do to him. Other than the fact that there might be a slight chance that his Lycanthropy would become beyond his control. He just hoped the result would be the same from when he made his first reckless decision.

Brigitte saw the expression on his face and pondered. "Why the straight-face?" she interrogated.

Sam turned his attention to her. "I'm just thinking that's all. Hey, how long have we been gone?" he asked quickly to change the subject.

"I don't know. But wherever we were in our heads, it felt like we were there for an eternity. My stomach still feels funny from being there." she explained thoroughly.

"Yeah, I felt the same way. I thought it was just me." Sam paused for a moment and thought he should tell Brigitte what was on his mind. It seemed to be the right thing to do since he withheld information in the past. "Why do you think we need to lock ourselves away? Do you think it's part of what we have to sacrifice? Like our freedom or something? Or worst, turning into a werewolf anyway."

Brigitte thought for a moment. "It wouldn't be called an alternative if were were going to turn anyway. I'd have to say that there's a reason for why we need to take precautions. We're new to this whole thing and we don't know a thing about it yet. So far, we've had to learn a lot to make it to where we are now. Everything that took learning new things and adapting to new things.

So whatever the situation with us locking ourselves away, I'm sure there is a good reason. But I know that I didn't give into the transformation and I'm not going to." she stressed to him.

Sam understood what she was saying and took her better judgment. "Well that sounds about right. Your optimism sounds to be in the right place as usual." he flirted again. Like always, Brigitte took it as a compliment.

"She told us we have to wait until the full moon. That's next month since the moon is already waning from a full moon from a few days ago. If we're still in one piece, you better hold up to your word." she told him sternly.

"What word?" he asked with perplexity.

"I'll let you know after the full moon." she told him simply. Sam tried hard to figure out what she was talking about. He wasn't getting any where so he decided to drop the thoughts and wait until after the next full moon.

He and Brigitte didn't think to look at the map to find their way back to the RV. They knew their way back out by heart; despite that it was their first time being in the forest. The average person wouldn't have been able to do that. It would take a while for the average person to get a feel of the woods and learn it like the back of their hand.

The fog wasn't as thick as it was before. It loosened as they got nearer the end of the forest. It didn't take them as long as it did the first time since they knew where they were going.

Bridget and Drew was waiting for them patiently. There were some instances where they got worried about them since they were gone for a while. Sam and Brigitte had been gone for so long that Drew and Bridget decided to take a nap.

They were still sleeping by the time Sam and Brigitte got back. When they entered the RV, they saw Drew and Bridget asleep on the couch. Sam took his seat on the driver's side and Brigitte took hers in the passenger's.

Sam put his buckle on as did Brigitte. They took a look back at the two sleeping figures. "So what can we do for them?" Brigitte asked.

"The only thing we can do. Finish finding a cure so they can go back to their own lives and we can continue to get on with ours. It's pretty much the only option we have right now. Being that this alternative works the way it should." Sam ended.

They drove for a silent hour. Brigitte was drowsy but she wouldn't let her eyes close. Bridget and Drew were still asleep. Sam really didn't feel like going all the way back there again. When it came down to Brigitte, he'd do anything for her.

Drew was the first to wake up after an hour of driving on the road. His loud stretching let Sam and Brigitte know that he was awake. Once he stopped stretching, he opened his eyes and saw the RV moving. He snapped his head to the front and saw Sam and Brigitte in the front. "Fitzgerald! Sam! you're back!" he shouted with excitement. "We were worried that something might have happened to you.

We were thinking about going in there to see if we could find you. But, we thought that might have been a bad idea since you had the map and we had nothing to go on even if we did go. So we stayed here and waited for you guys like you said. But we got tired of waiting so we went to sleep." he rambled on and on as usual, volunteering information.

"That's good to know." Sam said simply.

"So where are we going now?" Drew asked.

"You'll find out when we get there. We're not far from it." Sam replied.

Once more, they were on the road again. This time, the trip wasn't as long as all of the others. It took maybe an hour or two to get to their primary destination.


	23. End of the Road, For Now

So as it was, they made it back to Sam's secondary greenhouse in the northwest territories of Canada. It was kind of like his greenhouse in Bailey downs. The only difference was this greenhouse was a little wider and it wasn't owned by his family. Also the mood on the inside was gray and cold because of the winter.

Sam thought it better to have another greenhouse to support his needs for constructing a cure. If he had chosen to buy anything otherwise, he would have had multiple problems trying to find the exact plant he would need. It was better to have them all growing in one place where they were easily accessible at one time. It was as he said before, if he didn't have the green thumb then he'd be a total wast of space.

Brigitte understood all of this; therefor she didn't need to question Sam as to why he would get another greenhouse. When they went inside, it was pretty much set up like his other greenhouse. Drew and Bridget looked at the variety of plants as they walked toward the back.

"I need for you two to listen very carefully." Sam started once he stopped walking and turned to face Drew and Bridget. "Most of everything in here is off limits. I can't have anything breaking in here because most of these plants are very fragile and can easily die if you touch or grab them the wrong way." he made clear.

Drew took in what Sam had just stressed to them and continued to look around. "You know, the kind of guy you are Sam I never would have expected you to spend time with flowers." he smirked. "They're pretty you know."

"Well," Sam started low. "if you're trying to be sarcastic, If it wasn't for my little time with the flowers, I wouldn't expect you to be here in one peace. Consider it a lucky break."

Drew had a second thought about what he said before. Maybe it was a good thing Sam had knowledge about flowers. Knowing that made Drew want to give growing flowers a try since he failed to do everything else he tried in his life. He then whispered to himself, "Alright Sam. When you're right, you're right." he continued to walk.

It took a while for everyone to settle in. When they did, Drew and Bridget rested from the long trip. Sam and Brigitte was so used to it, it hardly affected them. Sam and Brigitte went to the mid-section of the greenhouse and through another door that conjoined another greenhouse.

Once they were in there, Sam immediately went over to the more cooler part. "Are you wondering why I would possibly need more than one greenhouse yet?" he asked Brigitte, having her curiosity down packed.

"Why do you need more than one greenhouse? You only had one before and didn't really complain about needing another one from what I remember." she told him after she asked the anticipated question.

"Well surely you've noticed that's it's a little colder in here right?" he said as he began to pick through some of the plants he was growing in there. Some of them which was monkshood. Brigitte nodded her head to his question. Sam continued to explain, "That's because some plants thrive in the winter and require to stay cold. Or sometimes different types of flowers grows in the spring but doesn't last long because of the changing temperatures from low to high.

So with this part, I can keep the temperature in here regulated as being in the winter. You know, to kind of trick the flowers into thinking it's still winter so they can stay around longer. The moment heat gets to 'em, their time is up."

"And when did you figure all of this out?" Brigitte asked after he explained.

"You tend to learn things over time. I heard knowledge comes with age so I'm doing my best to apply it all."

Brigitte looked all around the room of the greenhouse. Seeing multiple doors led her into remembering something. "Is there a room in here that's secure?" she asked.

Sam didn't know why she asked that question. "Why is that?" he asked with a look of disarray.

"Because when the next full moon comes, we want to be prepared for what that Indian woman told us a few days ago. And the full moon is coming soon so we really need to figure this stuff out before then." she told him seriously.

Sam paused and thought for a while. "I don't think locking ourselves in here would do us any justice, but I have a shed in the back." he informed her.

"Show me." She nearly demanded.

"Okay fine." he agreed and walked to the back door in a quickened gait. Brigitte followed in the same pace.

When they made it out to the back, Sam pointed to the shed where there were no windows and shut tight with a thick iron door that was chained close. "Is this something you might be interested in?" he asked her.

"Yes but, why would you need this much security to lock away a few gardening items?" she wanted him to make sense of it.

"I think that shed was actually used to hold guns or something at a time. When I got the place, I just kept the same locks or whatever." he humped his shoulders upon finishing his sentence.

Brigitte went up to the locks and tugged on the chains. They seemed to be thick enough to keep them concealed when the time comes. She let them go once she finished her tug test. "It looks like this will have to do. Unless you know where we can get some more chains just in case." She looked at him intensely albeit softly.

"Yeah. We have time to kill until then, I'm sure. I'm just a little nervous as to what's going to happen next. All the talk about Lycanthropy taking over despite the alternative is kind of getting under my skin." he said ill-at-ease.

"Well it looks to me like they forgot to mention one other thing you'd have to sacrifice." Brigitte smirked

"Yeah, what's that?" he asked quickly.

"Your sanity. I'm a little nervous too. But after all the things we've been through, I couldn't be more nervous." she smiled wider.

"You've been smiling a lot more lately, what's got into you?" Sam asked quickly.

"Take your best guess at my first case scenario." she sounded with a daring tone.

"I see." he simply. Brigitte walked passed him to go back to the greenhouse. Sam followed. "So what do we do next? Wait?" he asked.

"You're smart Sam. I don't think you need my help figuring that out."

"Of course." he said locking the back door as soon as they were inside.

What they did next was exactly what they planned. Days went by too slow for them. Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, they did what they did best and kept themselves occupied by reading up on new kinds of species of plants, trying new combinations and making more of the serum. Every now and then Bridget and Drew would sit and watch the process though it was highly annoying to both Sam and Brigitte since Sam didn't like being crowded and Brigitte didn't like when people hovered.

In that time Sam, Brigitte, Drew and Bridget became closer to each other and chose to rely on each other more. Despite the fact of them being closer and being in the same boat, they still thought Sam and Brigitte to be weird.

They did so many things out of the norm. One thing that Bridget couldn't really get used to was the fact they had to stay away from humanity. She at least wanted to go to the mall or something but she wasn't allowed to go in overly crowded places as Brigitte had instructed earlier on.

Since Drew and Bridget were already developing somewhat of a taste for human blood, Sam and Brigitte told them to keep themselves out of view and control their augmentative temptation. They reluctantly agreed. Sam assured them that it all for the best.

After nearly 3 weeks of waiting, the day finally came when the full moon would come out that night. Sam and Brigitte both felt uneasy. It was one thing thinking about what could happen but when it was actually happening, butterflies formed in your stomach.

Brigitte and Sam got all the things they needed and put it in the shed which was big enough to probably fit four people respectively. When the sun set, they prepared to go in for whatever reason. "Remember," Brigitte told to Drew and Bridget as they were gathered at the front of the shed, "Do not open those doors under no circumstances.

If we feel it's safe for us to come out, we'll contact you on these." she said holding up the walkie-talkies. "We don't know what's going to happen for sure but we want you to be ready. Make sure the door and the locks stay in tact. Got it?" She told them strictly. Both Bridget and Drew agreed to the terms.

Sam added his say before they went in. "Be sure to stay right next to this phone alright? It's imperative that you do." he said seriously.

He and Brigitte then went inside of the dark and cold shed. Sam had removed the tools from inside to spare more room should they need it. Once they were inside, Bridget and Drew shut them in and locked the latch with chains and two padlocks.

When the door was secure, they looked at each other with concern for Sam and Brigitte. "Do you think they're going to be okay in there?" Bridget asked Drew.

"I hope so." he said with wishful thinking. "If they're going to be locked up, I hope they don't go crazy. I think I would because it's dark in there." he told her.

"Don't worry, I saw a light bulb hanging up in there so maybe it won't be too dark."

"Well that's a good thing. I wish this shed had windows so we could know for sure that they're alright." The pair paused for a while, looking at the thick metal door. After a while of staring, they turned and walked back inside the greenhouse.

Meanwhile on the inside of the shed, Sam and Brigitte were able to see due to the single light bulb. They might have sat in there for 15 minutes without a word. Sam was nervously fidgeting with his fingers while Brigitte was refraining from biting her nails.

Ginger's sudden appearance disturbed the tortuous silence. "A little nervous are we?" she began low in a seemingly taunting tone. "I don't see what you're so nervous about. You chose this path to follow. You know you passed the test back there so what are you afraid of?"

Sam turned his head away from Ginger, not in the mood of talking to her. Brigitte answered her question with a question. "What's going to happen to us Ginger? Are we going to turn anyway? I thought this alternative was supposed to stop us from turning." she panted, showing Ginger that she had a built level of anxiety.

"I don't know. I'm new to this whole thing too. I'm eager to know what's going to happen next." she told her. "The sun is going down Brigitte and the moon's going to be out soon. Just give it good 30 minutes. I'll be here watching you." she told her.

Sam wasn't going to say anything but he decided to anyway. "How long are you going to be watching?" Sam asked annoyed.

"All night if I have to playboy." she said in a regular tone. Sam didn't like her response too much. If they were going to end up getting overpowered by the spirits they've allowed in their bodies, he at least wanted to spew all of his time with Brigitte in complete privacy. Now that Ginger was hanging about, it was now a long forgotten dream.

They couldn't see on the outside but the sun had gone down and the skies were darkening. Soft purple stratus clouds began to form. Everything that could be heard in the day quieted down. The winds howled like the wolves of the night. The leafless tree branches swayed back and forth as if they were dancing for the dead. The snow on the ground glistened like white glitter on a black background. While these things set the moments of the chilling night, the final piece to the puzzle finally showed itself; the pale face of the full moon.

Sam and Brigitte was concealed from all this. They didn't know what was going on outside. Although they had no idea of what the night looked like, they began to feel the effects from it. They soon felt dizzy and nauseous, as if they were going to be sick. Soon Lycanthropic features began to show on their bodies as it did before.

They moaned and groaned and grimaced in pain while their spinal cord was elongating. Nails grew as did teeth, hair and their jaw bone expanded. The pain was unbearable. Later, they began to cough up blood. They were changing quickly.

Ginger, who stuck around, watched as they transformed. She witness them growing out of their clothes, tearing them to shreds. Each passing second, they were less human and more wolf. This went on until they were complete wolf with no evidence of them ever being human. As soon as the metamorphosis was done, they roared long, hard, and loud. The beast within them had so long craved to reach the surface.

Even though they were finally out, they were stuck in that shed. They hit against the door attempting to break free. The loud noises from the clinging metal on the outside alerted Bridget and Drew who were on the inside of the greenhouse.

They hurried over to the window and peered out to the shed. They saw the chains moving and took it that Sam and Brigitte were trying to break out. Drew and Bridget got scarred. If Sam and Brigitte transformed, they were not rushing to see another Lycan again. Just thinking about it was paranoia enough for the two of them. "Oh I hope the alternative they were talking about was supposed to work like this." Drew whined.

"And if it isn't, then what do we do?" Bridget asked.

"I have no idea. Compared to what Sam and Brigitte knows, I don't know squat." he told her while panting.

"So what do we do if they manage to get out?" Bridget asked in a panic.

Drew thought for a long minute. "I think I have an idea." Drew jolted away from the window and head out the greenhouse. Bridget didn't know what he was doing or why he was going outside. Though she was oblivious to his actions, she followed him anyway.

Drew ran to the RV and got the keys from the dashboard. He threw the keys in the ignition and started the RV. "What are you doing!?" Bridget exclaimed. We're supposed to be here when Sam and Brigitte needs us, not leaving them behind!" she told him.

"I'm doing anything except leaving them. In fact, we're going to them." he told her.

"Why would we do a crazy thing like that?!" she shouted to him again.

"Trust me okay!" he yelled back.

He pulled the RV from in front of the greenhouse and turned it around. He put the RV in reverse and backed up in the grass. He drove the RV's rear to the front of the shed. He backed all the way up until the back barely touched the shed door. "Hopefully this will help keep them from getting out. I don't they'd be able to move a ton of weight like this thing." he smiled.

Bridget felt relived. But the banging could be heard coming from the back of the RV and the noise crept her out. She hightailed it from the RV and back into the greenhouse where she could assure her safety. Drew went with her.

All night long Sam and Brigitte banged up the door. They kept it up for hours. They proved to be a great force together that the door was knocked off of it's hinges. When it did come loose, they tried to tackle it down the rest of they way. Since the RV was parked directly in front of the door, it prevented them from getting further than that.

Finally, after many futile efforts, they managed to tire themselves out and the banging stopped. When the banging stopped, Drew and Bridget got up to make sure they hadn't breached their way out. They saw the shack still intact and the RV was still in place.

They had been up all night to make sure Sam and Brigitte didn't escape the shed. Their eyes were heavy and burning for sleep. Without warning, they were sleep faster than a person running a marathon.

When they opened their eyes it was morning. It took a while for Drew to realize he was awake. When he did, he rushed to the window to see if everything was okay. His heart settled once he saw everything was as it was last night. "Is everything alright?" Bridget asked him.

"Looks good." he said turning his gaze from the window. He lied back down to rest his restless eyes. Bridget sat up and waited for Sam and Brigitte, if they were still themselves, to call them from the shed. She sat next to the phone like a watchdog watching out for a thief in the night.

On the inside of the shed, Sam and Brigitte were just waking up also. When they woke up, it was pitch black. They also had a ripping headache. It was a headache so bad that any bit of noise was enough to make it feel as if their heads would split in two.

Both of them brought their hands to their heads and gripped it tight. They could hear the groaning from each other so they knew they were awake. "Why the hell is my head hurting so damn bad?' Sam managed to get out.

"I don't know, mine hurts too." she mustered out through her clenched teeth. "Where's the flashlight?"

"_Where's the flashlight?_ Where the hell are my clothes?" Sam compared both of their questions.

Brigitte briefly forgot about her headache when she felt she was nude also. "What the hell happened here?" she asked him.

"Now that I think about it, my guess is that we might have turned since we have no memory of it _and_ we wake up with nothing on. That just about explains it for me." he told her.

"You think we turned? How come we're still ourselves?" she asked about their discombobulating situation.

"I don't know. Maybe this could be the way the alternative works." he told her.

"So now we're officially the stereotypical horror movie werewolf. Wait until the full moon, change, attack, and then forget about everything that happened." she said obviously steamed.

"Let's not get too hasty Brigitte I think I can recall some things that happened last night." he squinted his eyes hard trying to clear the blur in his head..

"Like what?" she wanted to know.

"It's hard to explain but now, I recall hitting my head against the door. Come to think of it, I think that's why our heads hurt so bad." he stressed to her.

"So you're saying you remember doing that? That you weren't dreaming it?" she wanted for him to be absolutely clear with her.

"It felt real. I was banging my head on that door." he said not knowing which way to point since it was completely dark in there. "I'm sure there's something you can remember too." he told her.

"I can't recall a thing from last night. The only thing I remember is being in a lot of pain."

"Hmph." Sam said rapid before feeling around for the bags of supplies they brought with them. He searched blindly through the bags until he felt the flashlight. Once he got a hold of it, he turned it on and went through the bags to get some of his clothes. Her gave The bag to Brigitte afterward.

She got the second flashlight and got her clothes out also. When she and Sam were dressed, She picked up the walkie-talkie and paged for Drew or Bridget to answer it. "Bridget? Drew? Are you there?" she spoke.

Back in the greenhouse, the sudden noise of Brigitte's voice startled Drew and Bridget. Bridget took hold of the phone and answered back. "Brigitte thank God! Are you okay?!" she said with excitement. Drew had a large smile on his face.

"We're fine. Listen, come out to the shed and open the door. I can't take being in here another minute."

"We'll be out there as soon as possible." she and Drew sprang to their feet and ran outside to the back.

Drew jumped in the RV and moved it from the door. Bridget stayed by the door to open it as soon as Drew moved the vehicle. Luckily for her, the door was already loose because the hinges were broken off. She moved the door opened and found Sam and Brigitte sitting against the wall. The sun blotted their vision for a second, when their eyes adjusted, they looked at her eye to eye.

Brigitte was taken aback to see their irises blood red. She looked in front of them and saw blood and torn clothes littered over the floor. "What happened in here?" she asked with wide eyes wonder.

Sam and Brigitte got onto their feet and walked outside. "We turned." Sam answered.

"I thought you said when you turn you never go back." she said.

"Brigitte and I had a chance to think about it..." he trailed off noticing the RV right in front of them. Drew was just getting out.

Bridget could see that Sam was wondering why it was there instead of where he left it. "Oh! Uh, Drew and I used to RV to help barricade you in in case you managed to get beyond the door. As it so happens, if the RV wasn't there you would have gotten out." she said in hopes of redemption.

Sam shook it off. "Anyway, Brigitte and I realized when we agreed to get the alternative, we agreed to give up any hopes of being human again."

"But you still look human to me. Aside from the red eyes." Bridget told them. Drew nodded with a twisted facial expression.

Sam and Brigitte furrowed their eyebrows and looked at each other in the eyes. They gaped when they saw the color. They hurried inside of the RV and ran inside to look in the mirror. "Holy shit." Sam whispered when he saw his eye color.

"And I thought the yellow eyes were creepy enough. Why are ours red?" Brigitte asked Sam.

"I don't know." he answered, tearing his gaze from the mirror.

"Ginger?" she called for her sister.

Ginger came at Brigitte request. "Don't worry, I saw the whole thing." she smiled. "It was beautiful. Two mindless wrecking machines at work at the same time. The only other difference was that you grew bigger than the usual werewolves." Ginger told them.

"Don't patronize me Ginger I need to know what you know." Brigitte demanded.

"Calm down B. I was able to draw a few clues of my own."

Sam was eager to know what she had on her mind. "What did you come up with?" he asked her.

"Well look who it is. The expert asks for help? My, what world did you wake up in? I think you lost half of your brain when you bashing it up against the door." she teased him.

"Are you going to tell us or not?" Sam asked again.

"Of course I am. I just wanted to pick on you since I haven't done it in a while. Aside from all that, I think I know what might have happened to you two.

You've already figured out that it's what the alternative called for; however, do you recall when you lost some of your soul? You are familiar with the term 'selling your soul' right? You and Sam literally sold your souls for a piece of your previous soul that was left behind. It's a part of you now. You know, not just in your blood, but an actual part of you now.

Technically speaking, you're no longer humans. What happened last night, I think it was a boost to get you started on how the rest of your lives is going to be." she told them calmly.

"You mean transform on the full moon?" Brigitte asked.

"Get out of the TV Screen B. You're not going to change unless you want to." Ginger looked at the both of them with pure seriousness. "Take my example and look in the mirror." she told them.

Sam and Brigitte turned around to look back in the mirror. What they saw was their eyes going back to their normal color. "How did that happen?" Sam asked a self-question.

"Shall I give you a chance to figure it out?" she sassed Sam.

Sam could have rolled his eyes at her, but he as far too busy thinking and relating things in his head. "So our souls were pure as a human and our blood was tainted. When we gave up a part of our soul, the other part came and latched itself onto the tainted blood and replaced the purest part of our soul." he began.

Brigitte followed up after him. "If we no longer have a pure soul, that would make us wolf. And since our will proved to dominate over the spirits..."

"We control them." Sam finished for her with the same epiphany. "Oh my Gosh, that's it." Sam put his thumb to his chin.

"When we turned last night, it was a way of getting us used to the transformation should we ever under-go it. The Indian woman, she told us that the full moon was going to tug at the potion we drank. Maybe it was some way of making it official somehow." she said with building enthusiasm.

"The Ferland's!" Sam blurted out. "That's how they were able to stay who they were! That's why we saw footprints around their house, it was their footprints!" he made sense of it. "More than likely they overcame what it was they had to over come. Like us, so to speak." Sam said to Brigitte.

"And if we didn't, we would have stayed like that forever. That's why you were able to recollect things from last night because in a way, you were sane somewhere. Maybe we won't be mindless. Maybe we'll know full well what we're doing. Not to mention we actually have a say in whether we want to turn or not."

Ginger smiled. "I'm glad you figured that one out. But you can still infect people. Don't forget that. By the way, your eyes are red again." she said to them before leaving again.

"I guess all that's left is learning how to get this transition under control." Brigitte told Sam in response to what Ginger said before she left. Sam nodded his head in compliance.

Drew and Bridget were waiting for them outside for a long time. Drew went to go check up on them. "Is everything okay in here?" Drew asked.

"Great." Brigitte answered.

"Just making sure." he said leaving from the doorway of the RV.

When Sam and Brigitte were left to themselves, they looked at each other. "Well I suppose it worked." Sam said. "Other than finding a cure for Bridget and Drew, what are we going to do now?" he asked.

"Now that we know how this works, you're going to keep your word. Because now that all of this with us is over..." she paused to allow Sam to finish the sentence for her if he remembered what to say.

Sam had a sense of deja vu. They were in the RV and the last sentence Brigitte said was strongly familiar in the same scenery. Then he was struck with the memory. "I guess I did say that I would marry you once all of this was over." he smiled a mortified, yet bashful smile.

"Were you being serious?" she asked with her arms folded.

"Why wouldn't I be." he said putting his arm around her and leading her out of the RV and into the greenhouse.

"Speaking of the Ferland's, are we ever going to go back there?" Brigitte asked.

"He said he'd call. Until then, I'm not really worried about it." right after he said that, ironically, his cell phone rang from across the room sitting next to a flower pot.

"Aren't you going to get that?" Brigitte asked.

Sam looked downward and then back to Brigitte. "No. Why should I when we have all the time on the world?" he placed both of his hands on the side of her face and kissed her. Brigitte put her arms around him and kissed him back.

Bridget and Drew were on their way back out to see what Sam and Brigitte were doing. Before they could go toward the back good enough, Drew stopped both he and Bridget and stared ahead with his mouth wide opened.

Bridget saw what he was looking at and put on a big happy face. Bridget thought it was romantic whereas Drew was jolly like a little child with no sound leaving his mouth. He and Bridget backed away slowly and out of the room. "I told you they liked each other." he smiled.

"As if I didn't know that already." she scowled a little.

"Of course you did. It's too obvious." he said as a matter of fact.

Sam and Brigitte broke off their kiss when his phone rang again. "I think I'm going to take this one." he said low. He went to where the phone was and answered it.

Brigitte was in her own world. She felt like a lovesick puppy floating in the air. She never thought that she'd be there in a moment like that. At least not with the man she developed her first crush on. The only person left that reminded her of where she had come from.

She went to go to the other part of the greenhouse when she saw her book of cuts and healing records. She walked over to it and picked it up. She looked at the last entry that was still empty. It was then she knew what to put in that empty space.

She took the pen that was inside the book and wrote down a few words. Words that made her comfortable in her own understanding. _Cured...But will forever remain spellbound._

* * *

_Congratulations. You've made it to the end of the story. It took Me a Long while to put this story together. I was hoping to make it to the audience's liking. It's fairly long and I hope the length of this story wasn't a turn-off because most Fanfics are a little short. But I hope the read was well worth it. Please Comment, I really, really need to know how this story turned out._


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